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WLRN Public Media | By Sherrilyn CabreraPublished January 15, 2026 at 7:00 AM ESTCity leaders once lauded it as a bold vision for the future of one of Miami’s most famous streets and tourist destinations.When urban planning and design firm PlusUrbia unveiled its Calle Ocho Revitalization Plan in 2015, Miami city commissioners even went so far as to declare a day for the firm on Nov. 19 of that year. The plan laid out a reimagining of Little Havana’s SW 8th St — commonly known as Eighth Street or Calle Ocho, the Spanish translation — that aimed to bring a more pedestrian-friendly atmosphere.The vibrant cultural hub has been a bustling thoroughfare for decades, lined with shops, bars, and restaurants. It’s also home to renowned establishments like the historic Ball & Chain, Tower Theater, and the famous Domino Park — where mostly older Cuban residents gather to play dominoes while tourists watch. “Calle Ocho and Little Havana are the heart of Miami,” said Juan Mullerat, principal of PlusUrbia.The firm’s plan sought to build on that identity with a plan that visualized what Calle Ocho could look like — if cars did not dominate the wide, three-lane, one-way street. Instead, it would return the vibrant strip back into the two-way, two lane road it was before the late 1960s.The plan asks for expanded sidewalks, dedicated bike and bus lanes, and wider crosswalks that would be hard to miss. Instead of painted stripes on the road, a mural of giant dominoes would symbolize the crosswalks.“ By no means do we want to imply that Calle Ocho should be entirely pedestrian,” said Mullerat. “But if we're honest with ourselves … you experience great streets on foot. You don't experience them by car.”The plan got community input, too. Mullerat, along with Megan McLaughlin, PlusUrbia’s office director, spoke with residents and business owners about what they thought Calle Ocho needed.“All of our projects begin with community outreach, but also a lot of research into the culture and history of a community,” said McLaughlin. “What creates its DNA, what gives its identity?”“[The community is] continuing to advocate for greater walkability, safety,” she said. The firm also found that residents want to preserve the strip’s historic architecture.But since the introduction of the master plan a decade ago, the city has not picked up or signed off on any major changes to Little Havana’s Eighth Street.“ You always need a champion and you need that champion to stick with you for the longest possible period of time,” said Mullerat.Master plans for neighborhoods and cities, from idea to execution, take time, even decades. Meanwhile, politics tends to run in a four-year cycle. Urban planning and politics, Mullerat said, “are always at odds with each other.”