Merge: ULI/Hines Competition Entry

LOCATION: Miami, FL

PROGRAM: Mixed-use Urban Development

STATUS: Proposal (2022)

TEAM: Victoria Blake, Julie Fader, Nataly Guevara, Shane Jezowski, Jonathan Pascheles

Merge is a mixed-income, mixed-use community that integrates and draws inspiration from the surrounding neighborhoods of Chinatown, Old Oakland, West Oakland - Acorn and Jack London. At the nexus of these vibrant communities, Merge serves as a (re)connection point for Oakland’s downtown. By integrating diverse housing options, a mix of social infrastructure, and accessible employment opportunities, Merge puts community first.

The Seventh Street corridor in West Oakland was once a cultural and economic hub for Oakland’s African-American community. This urban design plan draws inspiration from that legacy by creating a vibrant commercial main street. The redevelopment process would seek to build meaningful relationships with a network of local organizations in order to map community concerns and assets, and develop a shared vision for the ways that these new neighborhood spaces can effectively bridge gaps while building on local strengths. By implementing a social procurement strategy and establishing a strong Community Benefits Agreement with local hiring requirements, Merge can catalyze local economic development.

The Merge masterplan ultimately seeks to promote neighborhood (re)connection by improving accessibility, increasing mobility, and implementing universal design throughout the public realm and in the shared and private spaces of its architecture. Merge provides an iconic physical symbol of the cultural, economic and social reconnections that are the driving force of the project.