Miami is in a race against time to build defenses against climate change and rising sea levels—resilience projects that require property tax revenue generated from luxury developments built in the areas most at risk.
Danielle Paquette reports on the Catch-22 of Miami development, especially in the area that "scientists call one of America’s most vulnerable floodplains."
"The more developers build here, the more taxes and fees the city collects to fund a $300-million storm water project to defend the shore against the rising sea," writes Paquette.
Critics of development approvals in the floodplain question the common sense of allowing more development in neighborhoods already over-burdening their infrastructure.
Paquette goes on to detail the details of the $300 million project, which the city is implementing by borrowing against a "new stormwater utility fee on homeowners, hotels and stores." Finally, Paquette also provides more detail and anecdotes from the real estate market in Miami, especially along the receding coast.
Read the full story: Miami’s climate catch-22: Building waterfront condos to pay for protection against the rising sea
How US Communities Are Building Resilience Against Flooding
Flooding causes over $400 billion in damage in the United States every year.
New Stormwater Resilience Measures Approved in Austin
The Austin City Council adopted the latest in a series of measures intended to improve the city's stormwater resilience after experiencing repeated flooding events in the past decade.
Flooding in the Midwest Shows There's No Refuge From Climate Change
While projections say areas of the U.S. Midwest around the Great Lakes will become more hospitable as the climate changes, stormwater and flooding is still a challenge in a surprising number of locations.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
Nation's most wind-powered state turns to coal as data centers increase energy demand
For the first time in decades, Iowa has increased its generation of coal power.
NYC cools commuters with city's first rain garden above a bus stop
New York City officials say the plants in the rain garden can absorb 16 gallons of rainwater during heavy storms.
Brightline West’s future may rely on $6 billion federal loan
The company has until Nov. 2 to make a $400 million equity investment into its proposed high-speed rail line.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association