OFFICE OF

RESILIENCE AND
SUSTAINABILITY
2017 IN REVIEW
WRITTEN BY
Alissa Farina

DESIGN BY
Richard Rios
GSA Graphics

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY
Office of Communications
 MESSAGE FROM
THE CRO

When I look back on 2017, I am struck by how fast and full it was. As a new office and
new team, our first year was about socializing the idea of what it means to build a more
resilient city, taking the pulse on our City’s resilience, and laying the foundation for
taking action. We met with every department director sharing the concepts and goals of
resilience and listening to their top concerns and priorities. We also shared and listened
to residents in their neighborhoods, business and community leaders, and neighboring
cities. We were a part of and watched our City and its residents in action before, during
and after Hurricane Irma. We activated our first King Tide Action Plan, and informed
Miami voters about the critically important Miami Forever Bond.

Through all this, we learned a great deal about how we are resilient and where we could
strengthen our ability to anticipate, recover quickly and address head on the challenges
we face now and in the future. With this strong foundation, we have great momentum in
putting these learnings into action. In addition to finalizing our unified resilience strategy
with Miami-Dade County and Miami Beach, 2018 will be about strengthening building
and land use codes, integrating resilience features into infrastructure improvements,
and improving the quality and depth of our dialogue with residents about our plans to
mitigate the risks of sea level rise and climate change. It will take collective commitment
to realize Mayor Suarez’ vision of becoming the most resilient City in the world. Thank
you for joining us on this exciting journey.

Jane Gilbert

Jane Gilbert
Chief Resilience Officer

Office of Resilience and Sustainablility: 2017 IN REVIEW 3

 OUR
TEAM

JANE GILBERT DR. STEPHANIE TASHIRO

Chief Resilience Officer Deputy Chief Resilience Officer

AJANI STEWART ALISSA FARINA

Resilience Programs Manager Special Projects Coordinator

Office of Resilience and Sustainablility: 2017 IN REVIEW 4

 OUR
DEPARTMENT

Urban Resilience is the capacity of individuals, communities, institutions, businesses, and

systems within a city to survive, adapt, and grow no matter what kinds of chronic stresses
and acute shocks they experience. Urban Sustainability involves developing a city that
seeks to meet the needs of people while protecting our environment and resources for
future generations. Resilience and Sustainability go hand in hand whether in creating a
physical building, planning neighborhoods or improving economic opportunity for all.

MISSION:
To build physical, social and economic resilience and sustainability in Miami through
internal and external partnerships.

VISION:
Miami embraces challenges to adapt to climate change, urbanization and globalization,
ensuring all Miamians have the opportunity to thrive now and in the future.

OUR TOP 3 PRIORITIES:

1. Advance City of Miami’s resilience to sea level rise and climate change through
interdepartmental planning & advising, community and stakeholder engagement, and
implementing policies and resolutions.
2. Co-develop a unified Resilient Greater Miami and the Beaches Strategy
with Miami-Dade County and City of Miami Beach.
3. Integrate holistic resilience strategy into City of Miami’s strategic plan,
budgeting, policies and capital improvement plans.

Office of Resilience and Sustainablility: 2017 IN REVIEW 5

 2017
ACHIEVEMENTS AND INITIATIVES

CITY OF MIAMI STAFF INTRODUCTION TO URBAN RESILIENCE

n Met internally with every department director and Neighborhood Enhancement Team
administrators to socialize the concept of urban resilience.

RESILIENT REDESIGN OF SHORECREST

n Recognizing Shorecrest’s urgent vulnerability to flooding and diverse demographics, the City
is using Shorecrest as a model for inter-disciplinary neighborhood adaptive planning. This
process started with the City’s Office of Resilience and Sustainability, Planning & Zoning,
Capital Improvement and Public Works Departments (in partnership with the University of
Miami’s School of Architecture) participating in the Southeast Florida Regional Climate
Change Compact’s 3rd Annual Resilient Redesign (RR3) charrette in November 2016, and
submitting Shorecrest as its study area. The interdepartmental team will continue to build on
the findings from RR3, with input from key stakeholders including residents, the Sea Level
Rise Committee and other government agencies with the aim of developing an implementable
plan for the area that includes short, mid and long term solutions for increased resilience.

SEA LEVEL RISE COMMITTEE

n Provided staff support to the Sea Level Rise Committee – a volunteer committee charged
with advising City Commission on policy recommendations to strengthen the City’s resilience
to sea level rise. In 2017, the Sea Level Rise Committee held 10 public meetings, engaged
roughly 300 community members, and held its first off-site meeting at Legion Park in an effort to
directly engage with neighborhoods vulnerable to sea level rise. The Committee
channeled much of their efforts into addressing infrastructure this year:
• supporting the Miami Forever Bond;
• recommending a robust economic risk and cost-benefit analysis
regarding major infrastructure investments and;
• reviewing and making resilient recommendations for City land use and
building codes and standards.

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 2017
ACHIEVEMENTS AND INITIATIVES

ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION AND TREE CANOPY

n Investing in trees is a simple environmental design choice that yields
numerous and diverse benefits. In addition to the well-known air
purification benefits trees provide, their shade helps create
more energy efficient and livable cities by lowering ambient
temperatures. Likewise, trees reduce stormwater runoff and
the presence of trees and tree canopy is associated
with higher property values, more cautious driving,
healthier citizens and safer communities.

n For the 10th consecutive year, the City renewed its commitment
to being a “Tree City USA”, recognized by the Arbor Day
Foundation, by recommitting to the following tenants:

• maintaining a tree board or department, • having a community tree ordinance,

• spending at least $2 per capita on urban forestry • celebrating Arbor Day

n City of Miami plants approximately 1000 trees every year. Notable plantings in 2017 included
Arbor Day plantings with City Commissioners and elementary school classes in their districts and
Hurricane Irma reforestation efforts.

RESILIENT GREATER MIAMI AND THE BEACHES

n Launched and completed Phase I of the Resilient Greater Miami and the Beaches Strategy
development. Gathered input and ideas from over 3,000 residents, business owners, civic
leaders and subject matter experts through focus groups, meetings, online
questionnaires and numerous speaking engagements.

n Based on this community and stakeholder input and extensive data

gathering and analysis, the GM&B working group has identified six
priority areas that will be further analyzed and developed into
an actionable strategy. The results and methodology are
documented in the Preliminary Resilience Assessment which
can be found at www.resilient305.com.

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 2017
ACHIEVEMENTS AND INITIATIVES

EPA SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES GRANT

n Office of Resilience and Sustainability co-hosted a two-day equitable development workshop
with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in June 2017. A community meeting was held the
first day and a technical workshop on the second day. As a result, the EPA recommended the
following to build equity in the City: increase community collaboration on major challenges, and
invest in affordable housing, neighborhood stabilization, and inclusive economic growth.

ZIKA RESPONSE
n Office of Resilience and Sustainability is involved in ongoing Zika-related work, including public
messaging and policy-related discussions. Zika virus and other vector-borne diseases will be
addressed in the Resilient Greater Miami and the Beaches.

LAUNCH OF STORMWATER MASTER PLAN UPDATE

n Supported the RFQ and selection of engineering firm to complete an updated Stormwater Master
Plan that takes sea level rise and other increasing flood risks due to climate change into account
while balancing economic, ecological and equity considerations.

HURRICANE IRMA RESPONSE AND RECOVERY

n Prior to hurricane season, the Office of Resilience and Sustainability (ORS) was instrumental in
restructuring post-disaster recovery in the City of Miami.  This included moving the management
of FEMA’s Public Assistance program to the Finance Department and increasing training to build
recovery capabilities and skills in City staff.

n Post Hurricane Irma, Office of Resilience and Sustainability (ORS) worked directly
with the Offices of Emergency Management, Procurement, Finance, and Solid
Waste on recovery efforts. ORS staff provided policy guidance and took part
in weekly debris management meetings. In addition, ORS staff attended a
post-Irma community meeting organized by Valencia Gunder to listen
and learn about the real impact the storm had on residents.

n ORS is tasked with City-wide Hazard Mitigation planning,

coordination, and prioritization. After FEMA-declared
disasters, FEMA provides Hazard Mitigation Grant
Program Funding to states and tribal governments. ORS
continuously identifies and plans mitigation projects
with other City departments and updates Miami-Dade

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 2017
ACHIEVEMENTS AND INITIATIVES

County’s Local Mitigation Strategy (LMS) with those projects. ORS staff conducted a post-Irma
review of LMS projects and worked with other departments to identify new projects to address
vulnerabilities identified in the wake of the storm.

n A week after Hurricane Irma passed, ORS staff took part in an interdepartmental storm surge
assessment organized by the Planning Department. City of Miami staff were deployed
along the City’s entire coast line to determine the inland extent of the Hurricane’s
storm surge. Using a shared GPS-enabled map, staff placed pins at recognized high
water points which were informed by debris lines, standing water, and resident
accounts. The map can be found on the City’s GIS portal.

KING TIDE ACTION PLAN

n The City’s first King Tide Action Plan was launched this year which
focused on spreading King Tide awareness. Information was pushed out to
all City residents about the dates and times of King Tides in addition to
preparedness tips through both online and in person methods before
the season began as well as prior to each flood event. Thousands of
diverse City residents were reached with the help of partnering
groups: FIU Sea Level Rise Solutions Center, New Florida
Majority, Jan Booher, the NET Offices, Shorecrest HOA, the
District 5 office, and the City of Miami Police Department.

n Localized initiatives were held in the Shorecrest area

to educate residents on flooding and King Tides such
as town hall meetings at Legion Park and
citizen science days. Shorecrest was chosen as a target neighborhood for King Tide
efforts due to its high density of water-adjacent homes, its low elevation, and its
diverse population demographics. Residents of Shorecrest were specifically
assisted via door-to-door communications distributed by waste collectors
and Community Justice Organizers, free off-site parking passes and a
flood supplies discount from a local hardware store.

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 2017
ACHIEVEMENTS AND INITIATIVES

STRATEGIC PLAN INTEGRATION AND RESILIENCE APPENDIX TO

2017-2018 BUDGET
n In coordination with the Office of Strategic Planning, Office of Resilience
and Sustainability (ORS) introduced resilience related questions into the
annual resident survey. ORS worked with the Office of Management and
Budget to identify operational and capital improvement programs
and investments across all departments that address the resilience
priorities indicated in the resident survey. These expenditures
are cataloged in a dedicated appendix, Appendix J, of
the official Fiscal Year 2017-2018 Adopted Budget book

RESILIENT INFRASTRUCTURE WORKING GROUP

n Coordinated by the Chief Resilience Officer,
the City formed an internal inter-department
Resilient Infrastructure Working Group with the purpose of ensuring climate and other resilience
considerations are appropriately recognized in capital improvement plans. This effort will help
ensure that a holistic and strategic resilience-focused approach is used to prioritize where and
when the City invests in infrastructure and capital improvements, accounting for both physical and
socio-economic vulnerabilities in its assessments.

MIAMI FOREVER BOND

n Office of Resilience and Sustainability staff supported both the
development of and outreach around the $400 million Miami Forever
Bond which Miami voters approved in November 2017. $192
million of the bond funding is set for investments in flood
risk mitigation infrastructure.

Office of Resilience and Sustainablility: 2017 IN REVIEW 10

 IN THE PIPELINE
FOR 2018

CONTINUE WORK ON THE STORMWATER MASTER PLAN UPDATE

n The City’s most recent Stormwater Master Plan was published in 2012 but has proven to be
outdated. A comprehensive update process with the contracted engineering firm will be
launched in 2018 that will consider changes in land use as well as recommendations for multiple
sea level rise scenarios.

COMPLETE PHASE II OF RESILIENT GREATER MIAMI AND THE BEACHES RESILIENCE STRATEGY
n Using the six Discovery Areas identified in Phase I of the 100 Resilient Cities process, the
Resilient Greater Miami & the Beaches team will continue to work towards building a robust
Resilience Strategy. Phase II will kick off in early 2018 with dedicated working groups of local
stakeholders for each Discovery Area that will develop a report and action proposals to inform
the final Resilience Strategy. The final Greater Miami and the Beaches Resilience Strategy is set
to be released in early 2019.

RESILIENT REDESIGN OF JOSE MARTI PARK

n With support from the Van Alen Institute, City of Miami will invite an interdisciplinary design
team to develop a community-involved, participatory design process for the resilient redesign
of Jose Marti Park. Jose Marti Park sits in east Little Havana right on the Miami River and is
vulnerable to seasonal high tide flooding. The process will involve researching and analyzing
site and contextual elements, identifying opportunities and constraints, engaging stakeholders,
and providing recommendations on a phased approach for implementation.

ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION IN VIRGINIA KEY

n Funded through a grant from National Fish and Wildlife Federation and Wells Fargo, Frost
Science is leading an initiative in partnership with City of Miami and Miami-Dade County to
demonstrate how community resilience can be built through a series of coastal restoration
projects that involve volunteers. 17 acres of shorelines and coastal wetlands will be
restored at three sites on Virginia Key. Additional partners include the Nature Conservancy,
Catalyst Miami, Florida International University and local schools.

LEVERAGING TECHNOLOGY FOR FLOOD AWARENESS

n Driven in partnership with the City of Miami’s Chief Innovation Officer, a data platform and
data-driven system will be developed to predict and plan for increasing flood risks to inform
city and residents’ for mitigating that risk in the short and long term. We will identify
IoT (internet-of-things) opportunities via a Knight Foundation grant as well as pilot a
flood mitigation decision making platform through the Bloomberg Mayor’s Challenge.

Office of Resilience and Sustainablility: 2017 IN REVIEW 11

 OFFICE OF
RESILIENCE AND
SUSTAINABILITY
2017 IN REVIEW

Office of Resilience and Sustainablility: 2017 IN REVIEW 12