The Arva Moore Parks photograph collection consists of images of Cuban exile owned restaurants, stores and other businesses in Miami in the 1960s and 1970s.

Professor Gregory Bush (History Department) and the Institute for Public History (IPH) have recorded a series of interviews around the issue of public spaces in South Florida. Participants, who are representative of the diverse cultural milieu of the region, reflect and provide insights on migration, gentrification, the history of individual neighborhoods, housing, and community services.

These voices help to articulate the ongoing discourse on public space as it applies to South Florida’s History of development. The recordings and accompanying transcripts of the oral history collection document the unique experiences of the region’s inhabitants. In addition, the collection serves as a repository of primary source materials for students, faculty and the general public.

Collection contains architectural drawings, site plans, photographs, reports.

East Little Havana and its surrounding context.
Block and typological analyses of residential, commercial, industrial, public, historically and architecturally significant buildings; criminal activity map

Beginning in January 2022, the University of Miami Office of Civic and Community Engagement, affiliated faculty, and community partners embarked on a research study to examine the genesis, criteria, and relevance of the term “climate gentrification” as it relates to concerns about equitable development in Miami. The project complemented an academic literature review with a collection of oral histories to expand the understanding of climate gentrification based on lived experiences. Students in Dr. Robin Bachin’s Environmental History course at the University of Miami in Spring 2022 partnered with community organizations to engage interested residents in recording oral histories in the Overtown, Little Havana, Liberty City, and Allapattah neighborhoods in Miami.

This collection contains the oral history videos that were created as part of the project and can be accessed online.