Carnegie Mellon University announced plans to build a 35-acre campus in the neighborhood of Wynwood. The people, businesses, culture, and history of Wynwood will be entirely erased.

The campus could intensify the already-growing gentrification. As property values rise, lower-income residents and longtime community members might be forced to move out of Wynwood. Miami is already experiencing rapid population growth. Adding such a large institution that will not only displace previous residents but require more housing would cause further strain on everyone in Miami. 

CMU plans to destroy Mana Wynwood and build over it. Mana Wynwood is an extremely important venue for the Miami arts, music, and cultural scene. Places like these foster Miami's creative community to meet and showcase the art that makes Miami what it is. By replacing this with a university, the arts culture is lost and Miami loses one of its most defining features.

This is not about opposing Carnegie Mellon University as an institution or educational centre. It is about developing Miami so that it includes the people who already live here. Development shouldn't come at the expense of affordable housing, local businesses, cultural centers, or the history of an established neighborhood.  We are calling on Carnegie Mellon University, the City of Miami, and others involved in this project to protect Wynwood and the broader Miami community.

Miami's future should not require erasing the past. Wynwood deserves to grow without being displaced.