Cultural Prosperity Miami: Positive and Negative Observations

The representation of Miami as a prosperous and financially virile city can be largely attributed to images of the city’s glistening sky scrapers, flourishing nightlife and luxurious lifestyles; the familiar scenes from movies, news publications and television series such as Miami Vice. Although many of the television series and films focused on the city’s representation of crime and violence, they frequently conveyed an image of affluence, success and excitement. However, blogs, academic journals, travel websites and media publications have also highlighted Miami’s prosperity in light of the city’s flourishing multiculturalism, thriving art scene and dynamic neighbourhoods. During my own observations of Miami, it has been interesting to see how realistic these depictions of a prosperous life in Miami really are. A city seemingly rich in culture, entertainment and economic opportunity may actually have a very different reality. This essay will discuss the extent to which Miami’s artistic success and economic and cultural prosperity is reflected in the reality of life for people living in the city. Focusing on 3 neighbourhoods in Miami: Brickell, Wynwood and Little Havana, I will use my observations and a range of evidence to reflect on how truly ‘prosperous’ life in Miami really is.

A large part of Miami’s prosperous image comes from the city’s impressive status as a ‘gateway city’ that connects Latin American markets to the US and other global cities. There is, however, speculation that Miami’s influx of “illegal drug money” during the 1970s was an important contributor to the city’s economic prosperity and construction of Miami’s skyline. Yet, with one of the largest foreign banking sectors in the US, the city certainly assumes a strong economic position through international trade and foreign investment.

Experiencing Brickell first-hand, the financial district of Miami, the prosperity of the city’s thriving economy was blatantly evident: gleaming skyscrapers, luxury apartment towers, modern malls and fine dining restaurants and bars. By examining the clientele and selection of services, the retail areas generally appeared aspirational and commercially successful. In my experience, the majority of places and people in Brickell exemplified the glamourous and affluent ‘highlife’, accurately representing the economic prestige and globalised status of the city. However, even in this glossy and upmarket area, lay inconsistencies which hinted towards a different reality of life. There was evidence of charity fundraising, many modestly dressed working-class people commuting by the bus or metro, as well as the occasional beggar, which reflected a different truth for Miami’s proportion of Florida’s estimated 31,030 homeless population. These observations stood as a reminder that, despite Brickell’s significant contribution to Miami’s economic prestige and globalised status of prosperity, wealth discrepancies clearly still exist in this part of the city. Although Miami’s economic prosperity is evidently not shared by everyone, life in this city has however reflected prosperity in other ways.

Miami’s prosperous image is not limited to its economic success, but also through success derived from its representation as a creative and fashionable destination. After the revival of the art deco district during the 1980s and 1990s, South Beach remodelled itself as an “arts, fashion, and LGBT center”. Miami began to be recognised as a trendy global city where celebrities visited and where music and art was becoming a strong part of the city’s eccentric character. Over the years, this flourishing art scene in Miami flowed into other neighbourhoods in the city. Wynwood in particular, has recently been published in blogs, news articles and magazines as an upcoming ‘hip’ and trendy area with an inspiring international art scene. Although the regeneration of Wynwood may not have the same ‘polished’ and sophisticated fortune of the Brickell area, travel publications reinforce its status of vibrancy and prosperity. As former abandoned warehouses transformed into art galleries, and unique street murals created an urban-village atmosphere, Wynwood quickly defined Miami’s artistic success.

During my visit to Wynwood, I immediately experienced a vibrant and charismatic neighbourhood, indicative of a dynamic and prosperous art community. I observed an energetic atmosphere; pavements and buildings were covered in colourful artwork, live music played outside food and drink stalls, and people enjoyed art galleries, craft coffee and on-trend eateries. Walking around the main art district, Wynwood reinforced Miami’s reputation as a city “rich in cutting-edge art and culture”. As tourists queued to take ‘instagrammable’ photographs of street art and trendy buildings, it was obvious that Miami has global attention for its thriving art community and unique neighbourhoods. However, a few blocks away from this trendy zone, a very different reality emerged. Instead there were run-down houses and a noticeable decline in infrastructure, amenities and prosperity. It was evident that there was, in reality, a gentrified and divisive aspect of this neighbourhood that did not truly reflect the prosperity of the wider area. Although Wynwood did host a thriving unique art scene, the juxtaposition of these pockets of disinvestment exposed wealth disparities and social divisions within the city, which was commonly overlooked in travel blogs and media publications. While representations of Miami’s prosperous art scene may be largely truthful, evidently inconsistencies also exist.

Contrarily, academics have argued that Miami’s thriving multicultural environment has been fundamental towards the city’s advance as a prosperous global city. During the last quarter of the 20th century, Miami experienced a huge demographic change as mass immigration from Latin American countries settled into an enclave in the city, which became known as ‘Little Havana’. Under the first wave of Cuban political refugees in the 1960s and 1970s, many middle-class Cubans “pursued the American dream with a vengeance”, transforming both the city’s urban environment and its economy with the development of new businesses. Miami has been represented both in academia and media publications as an inspirational multicultural city, where its cultural connections have been instrumental in the city’s prominence as a global metropolis and its depiction as an idolised travel destination. However, there is also scholarly debate over how prosperous this multicultural Miami actually is, particularly with regard to the well-reported social tensions and inequalities within the city, often linked to Miami’s high crime rates.

In my own experience of Little Havana, I noticed a lively and vibrant atmosphere, rich with Latin culture and Cuban spirit. The streets were filled with authentic Cuban cafes and bars, Cuban cigar shops, Cuban street art and men were sat playing dominos on a patio. Little Havana certainly encapsulated how both Latin and American culture co-produced Miami’s unique economy and tourist appeal. The vast number of busy Cuban restaurants and shops was consistent with Miami’s image as a thriving ‘gateway city’. As tourists wandered the streets, revelling in the Cuban experiences, it appeared that this unique Miami neighbourhood emulated the prosperous multiculturalism and flourishing cultural connections that Miami is portrayed to have. Yet simultaneously, these observations also stressed a different truth.

It appeared that Little Havana was the only neighbourhood I visited in the city where you could truly feel the authentic culture and prosperous multiculturalism. Although Latin American food could be found across Miami, it was mostly in food chains rather than genuine local restaurants. This seemingly commodified culture did not reflect the inclusive and socially thriving representation of life that the media has presented Miami to have. My observations reflected the Cuban economic success and cultural influence in the city, however, this Cuban enclave in Miami indicated that strong social and ethnic divides in the city existed. My observations therefore appeared to echo both the positive and negative representations of the cultural milieu in Miami, and perhaps for this reason, were the most accurate representations of Miami’s cultural prosperity.

In conclusion, there have been various media portrayals and academic publications that have contributed to the construction of Miami’s image as a prosperous and thriving city, enjoying economic success, cultural wealth, and abounding creativity. However, from my personal observations visiting some of Miami’s districts, it was clear that not everything fit this ‘billboard image’ of prosperity. Behind the façade of prestige, lay wealth inequalities and discrepancies, with a noticeable line between reality for the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots’ in the city. In my opinion, multicultural and artistic prosperity also lacked genuine authenticity and appeared inconsistent, not reflecting the reality of everyday life for all Miami citizens. However, I appreciate that my one-week insight into life in Miami is limited and would benefit from further investigation to provide more conclusive analysis. Nonetheless, considering a more holistic view of prosperity that extends beyond financial success, the representations of Miami’s prosperity overall held a strong element of truth and was reflected in its thriving tourist industry, flourishing art culture and the city’s status as an accomplished quasi-Latin American capital.