LTC 439-2015 Harvard University's Graduate School of Design, Office for Urbanization Partnership MIAMI BEACH
OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER
NO. LTC# 439-2015 LETTER TO COMMISSION
TO: Mayor Philip Levine and Members f/f the City/ommission
FROM: Jimmy L. Morales, City Manager
DATE: November 10, 2015
SUBJECT: Harvard University's Graduate Sch!•ol of Design, Office for Urbanization Partnership
In May 2015, City of Miami Beach entered into a partnership with the Harvard University's
Graduate School of Design GSD for a two-year series of sponsored design studios to study the
impacts of and potential responses to sea level rise for Miami Beach. This partnership involves
leading academics and professionals from the fields of architecture, landscape architecture,
_urban design, and planning.
This past weekend Harvard University announced the creation of the Office for Urbanization. I
am pleased to announce that as a result of our partnership, Miami Beach has been selected as
the inaugural project that will focus on the municipal response to sea level. The Office for
Urbanization is a trans-disciplinary initiative that will focus the GSD's intellectual and practical
capabilities on a range of applied design research projects attendant to the contemporary city.
Specifically, the Office for Urbanization will build upon design research to address societal
conditions associated with contemporary urbanizations by engaging partners on a diverse array
of sites and subjects domestically and internationally. I am encouraged that this newly created
Office for Urbanization will further inform our decision making process and provide innovative
solutions for the future growth of our community in light of climate change and sea level rise.
The foundational project of the Office for Urbanization will examine the implications of rising sea
levels and increased storm events on the economy and ecology, infrastructure and identity of
Miami Beach in relation to its metropolitan and regional contexts. The study will develop design
strategies and scenarios to mitigate present threats and to anticipate future potentials facing
Miami Beach. At the December 16 Commission meeting, staff will be providing the Commission
with an update on the progress over the fall semester and the goals for the spring semester.
If you have any questions or need additional information, please feel free to call me.
SMT/ESW
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