Construction is expected to begin this fall for a new mixed-use project  located near the Aventura Mall. Aventura ParkSquare will include 55,000 square feet of retail space for shops and restaurants, a hotel, a 131-unit luxury condo tower and a 100,000-square-foot office tower. But what is going to set this project apart from all of the others in the works, you might be asking? Well, what makes this development different is it’s focus on health and wellness. “An active lifestyle is an attraction,” claims Bernard Zyscovich, architect for the $200 million project. According to a recent article from The Real Deal, every aspect of the nearly 7.5-acre development is centered on wellness, from the curbless roads to the selected restaurants and medical offices. Everything will revolve around the concept of health.

In addition to the office, retail and residential spaces, Aventura ParkSquare is also planning a 10-story, 40,000-square-foot Medical Wellness Center which will include three floors of office condos and a multi-level parking garage. While there will plenty of parking, developers are hoping their community will exude walkability. “We want people walking from location to location,” said Victor Ballestas, principal at Integra Investments. “Ultimately, walkability is good for business.” Dr. Karen Lee, a consultant who specializes in the marriage of architecture and urban planning with the promotion of public health, points out that obviously walking more is good for one’s health too. “There’s now a strong base of evidence that when you design physical activity into your buildings and streets and neighborhoods, it can increase people’s physical activity,” Lee stated in a piece from the Miami Herald. And with the obesity epidemic running rampant in our country, it’s easy to see why health and wellness is an attraction.

Aventura ParkSquare will feature spacious sidewalks, protected from heat and rain by protective landscaping. Walkways will be built without curbs in an effort to encourage joggers and people with strollers, walkers and wheelchairs to move about easily. The residential tower will boast fitness studios, a roof-top pool and urban garden spaces where residents can grow their own food. Stairwells will be well-lit and wide, giving people a safe alternative to elevators. Residential units will range from 1,000 to 1,800 square feet and will be available for between $400,000 and $800,000. Completion of the project is expected in 2017.