Global arts world and the worlding of Wynwood, Miami, Florida

ABSTRACT

Wynwood, Miami, is a world-renowned global art canvas of street art and cultural production site. The rise of Miami as a global arts city and its hosting of Arts Basel enhanced the place marketing of Wynwood. Wynwood’s recent trajectory is driven by the confluence of art, real estate, and urban planning. Its redevelopment over time has been dramatic, transitioning from a low‐income immigrant neighborhood and warehouse district into innovative artistic milieu. In the 2020s the neighborhood is being highly commodified, resulting in the loss of artistic capital replaced by trendy retail, condo, and hotel projects. Our analysis is primarily based on interviews with gallery owners in 2016 and 2022, as well as planning documents and business census data. Wynwood as an art venue has peaked, and artists and galleries are exiting. Nonetheless, Wynwood continues to be marketed as an arts neighborhood by property developers and retail and entertainment businesses

KEYWORDS:

• Global arts
• gentrification
• urban revitalization
• Miami
• Wynwood

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Asli Ceylan Oner

Asli Ceylan Öner is a Professor in the Department of Architecture at Izmir University of Economics in İzmir, Turkey. Her main research interests include the impact of globalization on the built environment, planning of world cities, and urban resilience.

Richard J. Grant

Richard Grant is a Professor of Geography and Sustainable Development, University of Miami, and Senior Research Associate, School of Tourism & Hospitality, University of Johannesburg, South Africa. He is an urban economic geographer working on urban sustainability transitions, resilience in Miami, PortMiami, and urban planning in African cities.

Han Li

Han Li is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography and Sustainable Development at the University of Miami. He is an urban economic geographer utilizing the technical advancements in GIS spatial modelling, remote sensing, and spatial statistics to examine the spatial organization of economic activity in urban China and the United States.