Miami Design District founder Craig Robins' take on the nabe

I think the Design District really is symbolic of the future of Miami as an important city. You see these great things happening like the Hertzog and de Meuron structure for the Miami Art Museum, MoCA’s expansion and the growth at the Bass—all of these are woven into the fabric of our communites. I see the Design District as this oasis in the context of a city that’s growing and becoming an interesting place to live.

We’ve worked diligently to make certain that we didn’t create a copy of any other neighborhood that you can visit in America. One of the things that saddens me when I walk around Georgetown, for instance, is that every shop is the same—Gap, Banana Republic, Victoria’s Secret. Don’t get me wrong; that’s good for business and for property owners but at the end of the day, the community doesn’t really stand for anything.

Take South Beach, it wasn’t born because we copied what everyone else was doing. We were contrarian. We found ways to adapt and reuse these beautiful historical structures—restored them and came up with new concepts for them. The businesses that really pushed South Beach into a new category were unique places that were owned by entrepreneurs, like News Café, The Forge and Pacific Time.

Back to the District, we are becoming central to Miami’s emergence as an arts destination. I think Rosa and Carlos de la Cruz are creating a beautiful building to house their collection, which is so important to us. When you think about it, in and around the Design District, you have the Rubell Collection, the Margulies Collection and some outstanding galleries. It’s quite amazing that you have in this little area the best art, design and fashion from around the world and that you can eat in some of the city’s best restaurants.

The neighborhood is the only place in town where so many unique things are offered. You could piece it together if you fly all around the world, but you can’t find it all in one location like you can here. Visiting the District is a real opportunity to experience a place that’s in transition, a place that's growing and transpiring.

For more from Craig Robins on what makes the Design District great, including information about the neighborhood’s top restaurants and showrooms, visit the American Eagle web site and read my article for Latitudes Magazine, the airline’s in-flight publication. For a slideshow of Design District sites, visit my Examiner page. One of the Design District’s unique showrooms, Emeshel, is featured on the DesignCommotion blog today.