Quote:
Originally Posted by QuantumX
“I believe Miami is destined to become one of the greatest global cities in the world,” Lim said Thursday evening.
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When we have powerful developers saying things like this these days  , I just don't see the Miami economy not becoming more diverse. PJ3000 might not think Miami is a major city, but apparently a lot of big people do or think it soon will be. 
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Citing a resort real estate developer's media press conference soundbite as evidence of this notion is such surface-level thinking. I mean, come on, you're actually citing that as proof to go along with your personal feelings? This type of stuff epitomizes stereotypical Miami... style over substance.
All I'm saying is, it still amounts to hype and speculation when you're claiming that this building boom will bring a more diverse, vibrant economy to Miami simply because this boom is bigger and different. Like brickell said, you're still trying to claim that A=B... and that just doesn't cut it if you're going to make large pronouncements.
Companies that would bring and develop a diverse workforce to Miami are not going to establish or relocate because condo towers, retail developments, and entertainment venues have been built at record pace. And guess what? They're not. Will they in the future? Maybe, and I hope they will, because I have a vested interest in Miami. I went to UM for undergrad, hold an adjunct teaching position there, and own a home blocks away from where all this crazy condo construction has been going on. I have a lot of love for Miami and want to see the city progress in a number of areas. But that progress will not be the result of condos or resorts being built. Not as flashy as a new luxury resort, but certainly the type of development that can have a much more profound effect on the overall civic environment:
The UM Life Science & Technology Park state-of-the-art facilities will accommodate companies and institutes of all types -- from locally grown University start-ups to global entities. As a gateway to the Americas and the world, Miami offers a strategic location for companies seeking to establish sales, marketing and lab space to penetrate the U.S. markets, and/or regional office space to service markets as a distribution center for Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean.
See, developments like this are the types of economic boosts that most cities focus on... and then the skyline additions come as a result. The other way around doesn't work. You may think it does, but it doesn't. If there is really going to be a "New Miami", then it will be built on developments like this in a number of industries... and not on the newest proposal for a condo/hotel tower complex going up in Brickell.
So, I don't say all of this to "bash" Miami at all. On the contrary, I hope articles like the one from Time that produced this discussion serve to wake Maimians the — up so they they quit getting hard-ons every time a new condo tower/hotel/shopping/resort/casino is announced and then define their so-called "New Miami" by these types of developments. It just comes off as such shallow —.
Will Miami become a major city (if it's not already)? Yes, most likely. But what kind of major city will it be? That was part of the original point in the article... can it become a major city like Chicago (actually, Atlanta or Dallas are probably more realistic examples) or will it continue on as a playground for the wealthy as the divide between its citizen classes grows? How can Miami leverage its attributes (large port, financial presence) to create a diverse economy when companies are well aware that among major sunbelt cities, it offers the least in terms of an educated, skilled workforce and the least in terms of cohesion between existing (non tourism related) industries? Those are the related questions that need to be considered, and all you are doing is citing more real estate/tourism development and your own personal notions about this "build condo towers for the wealthy and a diverse economy with a prosperous middle class will come" hypothesis.
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