Historic African American Neighborhood       Located near downtown Miami generally between 6th and 20th Streets and N.W. 1st and N.W. 7th Avenues       15 block by 7 block neighborhood directly North of Downtown       Approximately 8,000 residents   At its peak had 40,000 residents         90% African-American         Almost 40% under the age of 20       Affected by urban renewal and highways   Almost complete clearance of original housing, replaced by substandard housing         Had TWO highways constructed through the neighborhood       Cultural Assets   One of the oldest communities in Miami         Center of African American cultural life from the Harlem Renaissance to Motown era       LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION   Proximity to downtown, the bay and the river         Proximity to largest employer in county, Jackson Hospital         Best served areas for public transit in region         Incentive Zoned to the Max       Vacant and cleared parcels of significant size     NEIGHBORHOOD SPOTLIGHT - OVERTOWN     Overtown Renaissance   In spite of years of disinvestment, Overtown, one of Miami’s oldest and poorest neighborhoods is on the verge of a comeback. Over a half billion dollars in new investment is on the drawing boards. The Lyric Theater is the centerpiece of an area known as the Overtown Folklife District (See Map) that will soon have affordable housing, entertainment and art. Since arriving, Michelle Spence-Jones has made an incredible difference! Just shows you what political leadership and influence can achieve. All accomplished will be accomplished among some of the poorest demographics found in any urban environment in the country. See some of the statistics attached and stay tuned for an update and pictures of progress.         OVERTOWN HOUSING CAPACITY STUDY   In Fall of 2003, the Collins Center for Public Policy conducted a residential capacity analysis for the Overtown neighborhood of Miami Florida. The Collins Center attempted to (1) understand the actual population capacity of the neighborhood; (2) identify target redevelopment/improvement areas; (3) identify the costs and make-up of replacement housing; and (4) identify the target areas for new development. Download pdf file (340KB)   This file is in pdf format. To download a free copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader, click on the icon at right.       BACK TO ARTICLES LIST

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