Key facts
- Florida is developing innovative strategies to adapt coastal cities to rising sea levels and storms.
- New designs integrate infrastructure with urban planning to create resilient buildings and public spaces.
- Kind Designs produces 3D-printed living seawalls that dissipate wave energy and create marine habitats.
- The Vista Breeze housing project is elevated and uses waterproof concrete and corrosion-resistant rebar.
- DC Alexander Park serves as flood infrastructure, featuring a maritime forest that absorbs rainfall.
Florida is emerging as a leader in adapting coastal cities to the escalating threats of sea level rise and increasingly severe storms, driven by climate change. Decades after Hurricane Andrew devastated parts of the state, professionals are now focusing on practical, integrated solutions that merge urban design with resilient infrastructure.
Landscape architect and professor Jeffrey Huber, who experienced Hurricane Andrew firsthand, emphasizes the need to design for the aftermath of extreme weather events. He notes that nearly 40% of the U.S. population resides in coastal counties, which are increasingly vulnerable to flooding due to human-driven sea level rise. Huber's research, outlined in his 2024 design manual "Salty Urbanism," explores how to live with rising waters rather than solely trying to stop them.
Anya Freeman, founder of Kind Designs, launched her startup to create affordable, 3D-printed living seawalls. These structures mimic natural coastal features like mangrove roots and barnacle clusters, attracting native marine species and dissipating wave energy by at least 45%. One installed seawall was found to host 51 species, including filter feeders that help clean the water. Kind Designs has installed 16 seawalls in Florida and plans to expand to California and New York, as well as fortify U.S. Navy coastal bases.
The Vista Breeze affordable senior housing project in Miami Beach, designed by Brooks Scarpa Huber, exemplifies resilient building practices. The 119-unit complex is elevated 10 feet above sea level and engineered to withstand storm surges up to 20 feet. It incorporates waterproof concrete, zinc-coated rebar for corrosion resistance, and passive cooling through its orientation to prevailing breezes. "These are some of the most simple, easy steps and they don’t cost that much," said Huber, highlighting the cost-effectiveness of these resilience measures.
In Fort Lauderdale, a former parking lot was transformed into DC Alexander Park, a public space that also functions as flood infrastructure. The park features a 25-foot artistic overlook and a native maritime forest that absorbs rainfall and saltwater flooding, providing recreational space and habitat. These initiatives underscore Miami's role as a testing ground for adaptation strategies that could become crucial for coastal cities globally as sea levels continue to rise.