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$1.5BN OF THE WORLD’S BEST HOMES

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A WORLD CITY<br />

Now enjoying an incredible renaissance after some turbulent<br />

years, Miami has not only covered up lost ground,<br />

it has emerged as a genuine world city. Whilst not quite<br />

competing with New York and London, the city has<br />

benefited from an influx of investor money – often from<br />

Latin America, though increasingly from around the<br />

world. Russian, European and Asian buyers have realised<br />

that not only is Miami an exciting and vibrant city<br />

with an increasingly large financial services industry, it<br />

also offers an excellent quality of life – in terms of climate,<br />

leisure pursuits and – with world class art galleries<br />

and the emergence of Art Basel Miami as a key destination<br />

on the social calendar – as a cultural hub. With<br />

direct flights from China to Florida expected in 2016,<br />

the surge in new developments which cause many to<br />

worry about another property crash, may well represent<br />

a step change in Miami's fortunes and a recognition that<br />

this is one of the best mid-size cities in the world.<br />

DEVELOPMENT BOOM<br />

Although Gil Dezer's project is certainly unique in Miami,<br />

it is not alone in striving to reach the pinnacle of<br />

ultra prime living. A swathe of new apartment blocks<br />

are both under construction and awaiting approval<br />

in an environment which even a few years ago would<br />

have seemed unthinkable. Investors, hedge funds and<br />

developers are all pouring huge amounts of money in<br />

to a thriving real estate market, which unnervingly, feels<br />

like it will only go up. This however could genuinely be<br />

the beginning of a new era for the city. Mayi de la Vega,<br />

CEO of One Sotheby's Realty, Miami commented:<br />

'Last year’s resurgence in new residential developments<br />

has resulted in a real estate market that’s hotter<br />

than ever. This is partly due to “starchitects” such as<br />

Piero Lissoni at the Ritz-Carlton Residences and Zaha<br />

Hadid at One Thousand Museum bringing Miami to the<br />

attention of global media. The area hasn’t seen this level<br />

of creativity and attention to detail since its Art Deco<br />

and Mid-century Modern heyday.'<br />

Having shaken off much of its seedy reputation some<br />

years ago, Miami now has a plethora of cultural events<br />

which would make many great cities around the world<br />

envious. Coupled with a warm climate, generous local<br />

income tax laws, ongoing wealth generation in Latin<br />

America and an awareness globally that it is a place to<br />

do business (Miami is a thriving financial centre with<br />

a large concentration of local and international banks<br />

together with hedge funds, private equity and venture<br />

capital), Miami is a city on the up<br />

Porsche Design Tower – Due for completion in 2016<br />

Ritz-Carlton<br />

Residences, Miami –<br />

a Piero Lissoni project.<br />

Penthouses from<br />

$25m.<br />

TheResidencesMiamiBeach.com<br />

ultraprimus.com<br />

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