Rising sea level is forcing the city of Miami Beach to plan for and implement measures to save infrastructure and mitigate flooding.
The city is already experiencing the impact of fair weather flooding during full-moon high tides when salt water seeps into storm drains and onto streets and sidewalks. Miami has the greatest total value of real estate assets exposed to flooding of any city in the world—more than $400 billion.
Two large pumping stations have already gone online, a move that has alleviated flooding in one part of Miami Beach. The city’s engineer wants to raise the lowest-lying streets on the west side of the island. Once they’re two feet higher, streets and sidewalks in many places will loom above the doorways of existing buildings, pouring water into them when it rains.
In the long run these measures will be unable to prevent the inevitable, according to climatologists. Before the turn of the century, the most pessimistic forecasters say that Miami and surrounding Dade County will be nothing more than an archipelago similar to the present day Florida Keys. At that point, the Keys will be fully submerged, experts predict.
Related Stories
Green | Oct 5, 2022
In California, a public power provider’s new headquarters serves as a test case for an innovative microgrid and for reducing greenhouse gas emissions
Sonoma Clean Power (SCP), the public power provider for California’s Sonoma and Mendocino Counties, recently unveiled its new all-electric headquarters.
Smart Buildings | Jun 1, 2022
Taking full advantage of smart building technology
Drew Deatherage of Crux Solutions discusses where owners and AEC firms could do better at optimizing smart technology in building design and operations.
Digital Twin | May 24, 2021
Digital twin’s value propositions for the built environment, explained
Ernst & Young’s white paper makes its cases for the technology’s myriad benefits.
Smart Buildings | Nov 20, 2020
The Weekly show: SPIRE smart building rating system, and pickleball court design tips
The November 19 episode of BD+C's The Weekly is available for viewing on demand.
Smart Buildings | Oct 26, 2020
World’s first smart building assessment and rating program released
The SPIRE Smart Building Program will help building owners and operators make better investment decisions, improve tenant satisfaction, and increase asset value.
Smart Buildings | Oct 1, 2020
Smart buildings stand on good data
The coming disruption of owning and operating a building and how to stay ahead through BIM.
AEC Tech | Jan 16, 2020
EC firms with a clear ‘digital roadmap’ should excel in 2020
Deloitte, in new report, lays out a risk mitigation strategy that relies on tech.
Urban Planning | Oct 20, 2016
Despite troubled development, Masdar City forges ahead
The detailed master plan for Phase 2 of Masdar City has been unveiled by CBT.
Smart Buildings | Feb 10, 2016
100 Resilient Cities to partner with Perkins Eastman
Perkins Eastman joins 100RC group of Platform Partners to offer resilience-building services to member cities.
Industry Research | Feb 8, 2016
Changing of the guard: Big cities giving way to newer, less expensive offerings
U-Haul truck rental costs are a good early predictor of migration trends in the U.S.