This is the future map of Dade County with a 4′ rise in sea level. It could happen in 30 years, it could happen in 80 years, but make no mistake, it is coming. Pretty sobering. It’s time to start shoring up our waterfront edges (bayside and riverside) and abandon those areas that simply cannot be saved (like the Northwest ‘lake district’, areas surrounding Homestead Airforce base, parts of the Redlands…etc.). Luckily these areas are not heavily populated. As you can see, the area of highest elevation is on the Miami Rock Ridge, which runs through our population centers, and contains most of our mass transit infrastructure. This is where we need to concentrate our development efforts moving forward. No more westward expansion. To foes of height and density in Miami 21: look at the map. The areas being considered for three story height limits are precisely those that need to accommodate our density.
Adapting to the changes that are coming to our region is the second step in the Climate Change battle. Step 1 is mitigating our contribution to the greenhouse gas problem. This is where transit plays a pivotal role. We cannot sit idly by and let the rest of the world make grand plans to limit ghg’s while we are one of the places most at risk. We need to make some serious changes to the way we move people and goods around Dade County. It is embarrassing how behind the ball we are, and we are all to blame. We need transit alternatives, and we needed them yesterday. Wake up Dade county, this is your future.
PS. I didn’t cut out Miami Beach intentionally (just the way the map is formatted). Unfortunately, its future does not look dry.
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