OMA, BIG and their partnering developers have until later today to decide whether they want to alter their plans for the Miami Beach Convention Center or walk away from the competition entirely.
The city was supposed to choose between OMA's or BIG's proposals, which have been in the pipeline for months, in the next few weeks. However, according to the World Property Channel, the city has now - in a disappointing turn of events - decided that the $1.1 billion project should be radically downsized by removing the residential units and cutting down retail space.
It's a reversal that will, in the words of Kevin Brass in his must-read opinion piece, remove "the opportunity for creativity and vision. Taking out the ambition won't make it a better project, only a smaller project. Miami Beach is providing a textbook example of how not to create a great urban space."
Story via World Property Channel
