UNIVISION PRAISES PLUS URBIA DESIGN'S VISION FOR CALLE OCHO

EN ESPANOL

A cada uno de sus costados, la Calle Ocho está bordeada por gruesos edificios con forma de cajas: gasolineras, tiendas de empeño, ferreterías, supermercados y la ocasional panadería cubana ofreciendo cafecito, croquetas y pastelitos.

La calle es sede de varios íconos culturales: bares de jazz como Hoy Como Ayer y Ball and Chain, así como Versailles, el restaurante cubano favorito de todos.

Alrededor de la 15 Avenida los turistas salen de autobuses para echar un vistazo al Parque del Dominó, esperando ver a los viejitos exiliados cubanos insultándose con malas palabras y riendo mientras juegan.

Cerca queda el Tower Theater, un excelente ejemplo del estilo Art Deco de arquitectura, donde los inmigrantes cubanos antes iban a ver películas estadounidenses.

http://www.univision.com/noticias/citylab-arquitectura/el-rediseno-que-necesita-el-corazon-de-la-pequena-habana

Redesigning the Iconic Thoroughfare at the Heart of Little Havana

Will Calle Ocho become a “complete street”? Or remain a highway?

Thanks to Tanvi Misra for her brilliant telling of the Calle8 saga in CityLab, The Atlantic's urban affairs platform.  Be sure to visit mycalle8.org to support the cause.

Here's taste of the story:

The push to revitalize Calle Ocho comes as Little Havana experiences changes that locals believe threaten its character.

The National Historical Preservation Trust put the area on its list of 11 most endangered sites in 2015 because of its dilapidated architecture.

As housing prices elsewhere in the city skyrocket, Little Havana’s aging housing stock makes its residents vulnerable to displacement.

Plusurbia’s plan, however, would only foster and conserve economic and cultural diversity, the firm says.

“Everyone benefits by a blend of people,” Steve Wright, president of marketing communications at Plusurbia, tells CityLab via email. “No one benefits from monoculture.”

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