Parks and open spaces can be designed to mitigate the effects of flooding, help to reduce the urban heat island effect, contribute to improved air quality and sequester carbon from the atmosphere. This includes designated spaces for people to gather as well as green corridors, medians and public right-of ways. When it comes to parks and open green spaces – a connected system is a resilient system.
Tree Canopy
- The City is looking to increase tree canopy coverage City-wide to 30% by 2020.
- The City enforces strict tree removal regulations and is looking to bolster these regulations by providing more guidance on removal, relocation, and replacement of trees. Click here to see our Trees service page.
- The Office of Resilience and Public Works has committed to establishing and executing beautification plans City-wide which include enhancing tree canopy wherever possible and increasing Florida Friendly landscaping.
Green Infrastructure
- Frost Science, in partnership with the City of Miami, is engaging volunteers, through its MUVE program, to restore living shorelines on Virginia Key by planting and tending to native vegetation, like mangroves, to slow beach erosion.
- One criteria of the Stormwater Master Plan is to utilize affordable and sustainable green and natural infrastructure, where possible. The plan will look to use parks and open spaces to enhance resilience to severe storm events and sea level rise, reduce flooding events and impacts, and increase groundwater supplies.
- The Sea Level Rise Committee has expanded their Natural Systems subcommittee to include Parks and Open Spaces.
Resilient Redesign
- Realizing its vulnerability to the effects of sea level rise, storm surge and other challenges associated with being located at the land-water interface, the City began a process to reimagine Brickell Bay Drive. In the next phase of this project, the City will release an RFQ for design and permitting of a new linear park that will also inform an update to city-wide waterfront standards that will maximize green infrastructure, enhance multi-modal connectivity and provide strengthen flood protection. Funding for design and permitting of this project was allocated in Tranche 1 of the Miami Forever Bond.
- In partnership with the Van Alen Institute, the City of Miami is soliciting proposals for an adaptive, resilient redesign of Jose Marti Park in Little Havana. Specifications in the RFQ, released in early 2019, were informed by community input as well as expertise from City staff and project advisers. Funding for design and permitting of this project was allocated in Tranche 1 of the Miami Forever Bond.