2015-28929 Reso RESOLUTION NO. 2015-28929
A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE
CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, APPROVING, IN SUBSTANTIAL
FORM, THE ATTACHED AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY AND
THE PRESIDENT AND FELLOWS OF HARVARD COLLEGE FOR A
TWO-YEAR SPONSORED STUDIO, IN THE AMOUNT OF $99,998
PAYABLE OVER TWO YEARS, TO STUDY THE IMPACTS OF AND
POTENTIAL RESPONSES TO SEA LEVEL RISE FOR COASTAL
COMMUNITIES IN SOUTH FLORIDA, SUBJECT TO LEGAL REVIEW
AND FORM APPROVAL OF THE FINAL AGREEMENT BY THE CITY
ATTORNEY'S OFFICE.
WHEREAS, the Harvard Graduate School of Design and the City of Miami Beach will be
partnering on a two-year sponsored studio designed to study the impacts of and potential
responses to sea level rise for coastal communities in South Florida; and
WHEREAS, with its superb faculty and students, the Harvard Graduate School of Design
(GSD) focuses on a combination of disciplines — architecture, landscape architecture, and urban
planning and design — and the GSD is a leader in alternative and sustainable futures; and
WHEREAS, the Harvard GSD aims to create new organizational structures, and new
forms of collaboration to address the complexities of contemporary global and environmental
issues and solutions; and
WHEREAS, sponsored studios are courses in any discipline or collaboration of
disciplines that receive a donation from a sponsor; they are very effective because they offer
industry partners an infusion of fresh ideas from next-generation designers and provide students
access to real-world design challenges; and
WHEREAS, the sponsored studio between the City and the Harvard GSD will examine
the implications of rising sea levels and increased storm events on the economy, ecology,
infrastructure, and identity of Miami Beach in relation to its metropolitan and regional contexts.
The studio work will seek to develop planning strategies to anticipate and mitigate present
threats; and
WHEREAS, as Miami Beach's coastal barrier island forms one of the most recognizable
and singularly valuable cultural landscapes in the world, this studio promises to examine the
potentials for ecological and infrastructural strategies as alternatives to large single purpose
engineering solutions; and
WHEREAS, the two-year series of sponsored studios is anticipated to begin in the Fall of
2015 and will involve leading academics and professionals from the fields of architecture,
landscape architecture, urban design, and planning. In conjunction with the studio site visits, it
will also convene a scholarly and professional colloquium on site in Miami Beach to gather and
synthesize the best available knowledge on this site and subject; and
WHEREAS, the Harvard GSD propses the sponsored studio on South Florida and Sea
Level as a two-year teaching program and the work of the studio will be documented and
disseminated through studio reports and site visits and the Harvard GSD will have multiple
opportunities to engage with donors, the media, and the public; and
WHEREAS, the work will focus exclusively on questions of sea level rise, and will
address the specific work being done by the City of Miami Beach. The final product will include
bound documents, published by Harvard documenting the problem, issues, best practices and
potential solutions; and
WHEREAS, a copy of the proposed Agreement between the City of Miami Beach and
the President and Fellows of Harvard College for the two-year sponsored studio project is
attached as Exhibit "A"; and
WHEREAS, the overall project budget is estimated at $500,000 over two years and the
Harvard GSD will commit $150,000 in teaching, research, and administrative support to the
project in addition to the City's commitment of $99,998 and, additionally, the Graduate School •
of Design staff members have recently applied for an additional $250,000 from Harvard
University Alumni and Friends and the City Administration has identified grant funding sources,
including the National Science Foundation to support this project; and
WHEREAS, the City's commitment of $99,998 will be allocated over two fiscal years,
with the funding source to be determined annually during the budget process.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT DULY RESOLVED BY THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF
THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH that the Mayor and City Commission hereby approve, in
substantial form, the attached agreement between the City and the President and Fellows of
Harvard College for a two-year sponsored studio, in the amount of $99,998 payable over two
years, to study the impacts of and potential responses to sea level rise for coastal communities
in South Florida, subject to legal review and form approval of the final agreement by the City
Attorney's Office.
PASSED and ADOPTED this /1 day of rn , 2015.
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EXHIBIT A
AGREEMENT
between
City of Miami Beach,
and
President and Fellows of Harvard College
This Firm Fixed Price Agreement("Agreement")is entered into by and between City of Miami Beach
with offices located at City of Miami Beach, 1700 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach,FL 33139
("Sponsor")and the President and Fellows of Harvard College,with offices located at Smith Campus
Center, Suite 600, 1350 Massachusetts Avenue,Cambridge, MA 02138("Harvard").
In addition to the terms and conditions contained herein, the following documents are incorporated hereto
and made a part of this Agreement:
Attachment 1: Scope of Work
Attachment 2: Budget
Period of Performance
The Period of Performance of this Agreement is 1 July, 2015 — 30 June 2017 ("Agreement End Date")
unless modified in accordance with Article 12.
Firm Fixed Price
The firm fixed price for Harvard's good faith performance of the Scope of Work is $99,998 ("Total
Cost")to be disbursed in accordance with the following payment schedule:
-$49,999 USD due upon execution of this agreement but no later than 31 January 2015.
-$49,999 USD due December 31,2015
Notices
Notices shall be forwarded to:
Harvard Technical and Administrative Contacts
Harvard Principal Investigator
Charles Waldheim
John E. Irving Professor of Landscape Architecture and Chair of the Department of Landscape
Architecture
Harvard University,Graduate School of Design
48 Quincy Street
Cambridge,MA 02138
Tel: 617-495-2367
eMail: waldheim @gsd.harvard.edu
Harvard Administrative Contact
Heather Carey
Senior Grants and Contracts Specialist
Office for Sponsored Programs
Richard A. and Susan F. Smith Campus Center, Suite 600
1350 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge,MA 02138
Tel: 617-496-0232
Fax: 617-496-2524
eMail: heather_carey@harvard.edu
Ver.8.5.14 1
Sponsor Technical and Administrative Contacts
Sponsor Program Director
Jimmy L. Morales
City Manager
City of Miami Beach
1700 Convention Center Drive
Miami Beach,FL 33139
jimmymorales@miamibeachfl.gov
305-673-7010
Sponsor Administrative Officer and Authorized Signatory
Same as above.
Other Terms and Conditions
1. Either Party may elect to terminate this agreement, providing that it gives advance notice to the
other Party, in writing,a minimum of 30(thirty)days prior to date of termination. In the event of
early termination of the project, Harvard shall be entitled to reimbursement in full for the costs
incurred up to the date of such termination and for costs incidental to the orderly liquidation of its
services, including those non-cancelable obligations properly incurred prior to the effective date
of termination.
2. Ownership of all materials developed by Harvard pursuant to this Agreement shall reside with
Harvard. Harvard agrees to grant to Sponsor a royalty-free, worldwide,nonexclusive, irrevocable
license to use,reproduce, disseminate and dispose of said material for non-commercial, academic
or research purposes only.
3. Each party shall be responsible for its own negligent acts or legal wrong-doing and the negligent
acts or legal wrong-doing of its employees, officers,and director.
4. Neither Party shall use the name,emblem or official seal of the other in any form of advertising
or promotion without the prior written approval from an authorized representative of the Party
whose name is requested to be used. The Parties may,however,reference Sponsor's support for,
and the nature of,the Scope of Work being pursued under this Agreement. In any such statement,
the relationship of the Parties shall be accurately and appropriately described. The parties agree to
obtain approval from the other party prior to issuing press releases using the other party's logo,in
any manner. The identification, statement, or display of Harvard's name in any way that may
reasonably be interpreted as implying endorsement,approval or sponsorship by the Harvard or
one of its units,requires prior written approval from Harvard.
5. Neither party shall be liable for any failure to perform its obligations, or delay in the performance
thereof, as a result of force majeure, meaning any event or cause beyond their reasonable control,
including but not limited to governmental regulations,fire, flood, earthquake, elements of nature
or acts of God, labor disputes,political instability,acts of war,terrorism,riots, civil disorders or
rebellions or other revolutions.
6. Neither party to this Agreement may assign this Agreement, or any rights or obligations hereunder,
without the prior consent of the other party except as expressly set forth herein. Any and all
assignments made without such consent shall be void.
Ver.8.5.14 2
7. For the purposes of this Agreement and all services to be provided hereunder, each party shall be
an independent contractor and not an agent or employee of the other party. Neither party shall
have authority to make any statements, representations or commitments of any kind, or to take
any action which shall be binding on the other party, except as may be explicitly provided for
herein or authorized by the other party in writing.
8. THE PARTIES ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE WORK IS FOR RESEARCH PURPOSES
ONLY, AND THAT HARVARD MAKES NO WARRANTIES OR REPRESENTATIONS
WHATEVER CONCERNING THE WORK OR ANY WORK PRODUCT, WITHOUT
LIMITING THE FOREGOING, ALL WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE WORK AND
WORK PRODUCT, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION
WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE
AND ANY WARRANTY OF NON-INFRINGEMENT,ARE DISCLAIMED.
9. Educational Intent: Design Studios and Research Seminars at the Harvard Graduate School of
Design have as their fundamental goal the instruction of students and their scholarly
development. Students are encouraged to approach these courses with an open mind,
unconstrained by specific objectives or defined products. While work performed in the classroom
by either the students or the instructors does not constitute professional services, experience has
shown that the body of the students' work often reveals informative and innovative insights into
those design problems and opportunities facing licensed professionals. The GSD provides no
institutional endorsement of the work or of the sponsor.
10. Any form of discrimination based on race, color, gender, sexual orientation, religion, age,
national or ethnic origin, political beliefs or disabilities is contrary to the policies and principles
of Harvard University,and shall be grounds for Harvard's withdrawal from the program.
11. The parties agree that this Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts and the United States.
12. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties with respect to the subject
matter hereof, and supersedes all prior oral or written agreements, commitments or
understandings with respect to the matters provided for herein. No amendment, modification or
discharge of this Agreement shall be valid or binding unless mutually agreed-upon in writing and
signed by both parties.
On behalf of the President and Fellows On behalf of the City of Miami Beach
of Harvard College:
Date:
201 5.01 .14
N� y e.Blackman Name:
Na r of Intamational Operations .
Ti � 8�ntr 14.5 •1 6 Title:
Office for Sponsored Programs
Date: _05'oo' Date:
Ver.8.5.14 3
Harvard University
Graduate School of Design
Sponsored Studio on South Florida and Sea Level:
Adaptive Strategies for Green Infrastructure,Landscape Ecology,and Cultural Heritage
Between
Sponsor:
City of Miami Beach
And
Principal Investigator:
Charles Waldheim
John E. Irving Professor of Landscape Architecture and Chair of the Department of Landscape Architecture
Harvard University,Graduate School of Design
48 Quincy Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
Overview
The Harvard Graduate School of Design and the City of Miami Beach are partnering on a two-year
sponsored studio designed to study the impacts of and potential responses to sea level rise for coastal
communities in South Florida.This studio will examine the implications of rising sea levels and increased storm
events on the economy,ecology,infrastructure,and identity of Miami Beach in relation to its metropolitan and
regional contexts.The studio work will seek to develop planning strategies to anticipate future potentials,and
to mitigate present threats.As Miami's coastal barrier islands form one of the most recognizable and singularly
valuable cultural landscapes in the world,this studio promises to examine the potentials for ecological and
infrastructural strategies as alternatives to large single-purpose engineering solutions.The two-year series of
sponsored studios will begin in Fall 2015 and will involve leading academics and professionals from the fields of
architecture,landscape architecture, urban design,and planning. In conjunction with the studio site visits,it
will also convene a scholarly and professional colloquium on site in Miami Beach to gather and synthesize the
best available knowledge on this site and subject.The work of the studio will be documented and disseminated
through studio reports,one following each studio,and through a final half-day event on site in Miami Beach.
•
The topic of urban adaptation to the effects of climate change is among the more pressing areas of
research for those engaged in the built environment.Over the past several years the North American discourse
on the subject has sensibly focused on the significant case studies of New Orleans post Katrina and New York
post Sandy. Both of these cases have engendered a range of public discourse, planning proposals,and design
strategies for living with the ongoing reality of increased storm events,rising sea levels,and a host of secondary
and tertiary effects associated with the new reality. In each of these cases the design disciplines have been
central to the projection of alternative futures for these vulnerable major metropolitan centers. More recently,
Boston has been the focus for equivalent studies of storm effects,urban infrastructure,and planning for a more
resilient future.While each of these cases have provided unique contexts for the advancement of disciplinary
knowledge, professional practices,and societal engagement with the subject of urban adaptation to sea level
rise,they have reinforced a tendency toward the defense of relatively densely concentrated urban
agglomerations through the deployment of large hydrological engineering systems. By contrast,much of the
North American coastline,and its associated urbanization resist such approaches by the realities of their
geography, hydrology,and patterns of urbanization.Among the more extreme cases in this regard is the
present status and uncertain future of South Florida.
1
Harvard University
Graduate School of Design
This proposal seeks support for a two-year teaching program examining questions of urban
adaptation to sea level rise in the context of the low-lying barrier island geography,complex water
infrastructure,and vulnerable natural ecologies of southeast Florida. Using the vehicle of Miami Beach as a case
in point,this work of the studios will examine the implications of sea level rise and increased storm events on
the horizontal urbanism of metropolitan Miami and its numerous municipalities and communities.Among
those communities, Miami Beach presently experiences multiple occurrences of so-called blue sky flooding,
that is,flooding in the absence of a storm event.The City of Miami Beach has recently convened a blue-ribbon
panel to advise the Mayor's Office on this issue,and the City is in the midst of a multi-million dollar upgrade to
its drainage infrastructure.This important infrastructural upgrade is planned to mitigate the most immediate
impacts of seasonal flooding.This work can do little to apprehend the larger impacts of sea level rise on the
economies,ecologies,cultures,and communities in its wake.The low-lying coastal conditions and singular
cultural heritage of Miami Beach resist the types of massive civil engineering projects that have recently been
proposed for London,Venice,or other major international examples.Given the reliance of South Florida's
economy and identity upon the specific landscape conditions of Miami Beach,this research project proposes to
use the frameworks of green infrastructure, landscape ecology,and cultural heritage as potential responses to
looming threats associated with climate change.
The Harvard Graduate School of Design proposes the Sponsored Studio on South Florida and Sea
Level as a two-year teaching program.The studios will be led by PI,Charles Waldheim,and will engage GSD
students across the disciplines of architecture, landscape architecture, urban design,and planning,as well as
students enrolled in the advanced studies and doctoral programs.The PI will partner with the City of Miami
Beach as sponsor of these studios.The studios,their related site visits,colloquium and studio reports will
gather leading experts from various disciplines and professions in South Florida,and it will convene participants
for discussions of these subjects.The work of these studios will synthesize the best practices and compelling
cases pertaining to this subject internationally,and will propose strategies and solutions for mitigating the
impacts of sea level rise in this context.While many of the social and natural sciences have examined South
Florida in the context of sea level rise over the past decade,the studios will represent the first large
engagement of its kind in which the design and planning disciplines synthesize this knowledge for use in
projecting potential solutions to these challenges.As the leading design school in the world,the Harvard GSD is
uniquely positioned to convene and successfully orchestrate such an interdisciplinary two-year teaching and
research program.
The scope of this proposal is conceived along three parallel and interwoven tracks. First, the PI will
organize two interdisciplinary design studios, using Miami Beach as a case in the broader questions around
urban adaptation to sea level rise.Through these courses,GSD candidates and students from across campus
will be exposed to a range of subjects attendant to the topic,and will be invited to propose strategies and
solutions for mitigating the impacts of climate change on the communities of South Florida through the lenses
of green infrastructure, landscape ecology,and cultural heritage.The studios will each include a site visit for the
PI and students,as well as an initial site visit by the PI and research assistant in order to lay the groundwork for
the studio.Second,the PI will orchestrate two meetings in South Florida on the subject of urban adaptation to
sea level rise.These will begin with a colloquium gathering local knowledge and regional centers of research on
the subject in 2015-16,and will conclude with a public presentation of the studios'findings in Miami in 2016-
17.Third,the PI in conjunction with his research assistant(1 each year)will synthesize the findings of the
studios and its various outputs,and will be responsible for disseminating the work of the studios in two studio
reports,one following each studio.
2
Harvard University
Graduate School of Design
Deliverables
2015-16
• option studio including trip to Miami for 13 students and 1 faculty and trip to Cambridge for 3 guest
critics
• colloquium in Miami during field trip to discuss this work
• studio report
2016-17
• option studio including trip to Miami for 13 students and 1 faculty&trip to Cambridge for 3 guest
critics
• public event in Miami during field trip to discuss this work
• studio report
Timeline
Two academic years
2015-16 and 2016-17
December 2014
Agreement in place
Spring 2015
Public announcement
Fall 2015
Initial Site Visit(PI+research assistant)
Interdisciplinary Design Studio,including site visit(PI+13 students)
Final Studio Reviews,including 3 guest critics
Studio Report
Spring 2015
Colloquium(half-day)at Miami Beach(30 ppl)
Fall 2016
Initial Site Visit(P1+research assistant)
Interdisciplinary Design Studio,including site visit(PI+13 students)
Final Studio Reviews, including 3 guest critics
Studio Report
Spring 2017
Public Event(half-day)at Miami Beach(60 ppl)
We envision a 2-year research/teaching effort with a total budget of$99,998,spanning a project period of 9.1.2015—
8.31.2017.A budget is attached.
3
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COMMISSION ITEM SUMMARY
Condensed Title:
A Resolution Approving and Authorizing an Agreement with the President and Fellows of Harvard
College for a two-year Sponsored Studio, in the amount of $99,998, payable over two years, to study
the impacts of and potential responses to sea level rise for coastal communities in South•Florida.
Key Intended Outcome Supported:
Ensure reliable stormwater management and resiliency against flooding by implementing select short
and long-term solutions including addressing sea-level rise.
Supporting Data: Community Satisfaction Survey: "Addressing flooding"was listed by 11% of residents
as one of the ways to improve the quality of life in Miami Beach.
Item Summary/Recommendation:
The Harvard Graduate School of Design and the City of Miami Beach will be partnering on a two-year
sponsored studio designed to study the impacts of and potential responses to sea level rise for coastal
communities in South Florida.
The sponsored studio between the City and Harvard Graduate School of Design will examine the
implications of rising sea levels and increased storm events on the economy, ecology, infrastructure, and
identity of Miami Beach in relation to its metropolitan and regional contexts. The studio work will seek to
develop planning strategies to anticipate and mitigate present threats. As Miami Beach's coastal barrier
island forms one of the most recognizable and singularly valuable cultural landscapes in the world, this
studio promises to examine the potentials for ecological and infrastructural strategies as alternatives to
large single purpose engineering solutions. The two-year series of sponsored studios is anticipated to
begin in the Fall of 2015 and will involve leading academics and professionals from the fields of
architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, and planning.
Financial Information:
Source Amount Account
of
Funds
1 $99,998 • To be determined annually during the
-e budget process
TOTAL $99,998
Financial Impact Summary: N/A
• City Clerk's Office Legislative Tracking:
Judy Hoanshelt, Grants Officer, Office of Budget and Performance Improvement
Sign-Offs:
ep•rtmen',Director Assistant City Manager City Manager
"WW1 / r
AGENDA ITEM C7[�
MIAMI �EACH
DATE 3-ii-
�S
M I AM I BE H
City of Miami Beach, 1700 Convention Center Drive,Miami Beach, Florida 33139,www.miamibeachfl.gov
COM SION MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor Philip Levine and Members of the Cit ommission
FROM: Jimmy L. Morales, City Manager -
DATE: March 11, 2015
SUBJECT: A RESOLUTION OF THE MAY0 R AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY
OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, APPROVING AND AUTHORIZING AN
AGREEMENT WITH THE PRESIDENT AND FELLOWS OF HARVARD
COLLEGE FOR A TWO-YEAR SPONSORED STUDIO, IN THE AMOUNT
OF $99,998, PAYABLE OVER TWO YEARS, TO STUDY THE IMPACTS
OF AND POTENTIAL RESPONSES TO SEA LEVEL RISE FOR COASTAL
COMMUNITIES IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
ADMINISTRATION RECOMMENDATION
Adopt the Resolution.
ANALYSIS
The Harvard G r aduate S chool of Design and the City of Miami Beach will be partnering
ng
on a two-year sponsored studio designed to study the impacts of and potential responses
to sea level rise for coastal communities in South Florida.
With its superb faculty and students, the Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD) is
poised to lead design's global cause. By focusing on a combination of disciplines -
architecture, landscape architecture, and urban planning and design — the GSD is a
leader in alternative and sustainable futures. The school aims to create new
organizational structures, and new forms of collaboration to address the complexities of
contemporary global and environmental issues and solutions. Sponsored studios are
courses in any discipline or collaboration of disciplines that receive a donation from a
sponsor; they are very effective because they offer industry partners an infusion of fresh
ideas from next-generation designers and provide students access to real-world design
challenges.
The sponsored studio between the City and Harvard Graduate School of Design will
examine the implications of rising sea levels and increased storm events on the
economy, ecology, infrastructure, and identity of Miami Beach in relation to its
metropolitan and regional contexts. The studio work will seek to develop planning
strategies to anticipate and mitigate present threats. As Miami Beach's coastal barrier
island forms one of the most recognizable and singularly valuable cultural landscapes in
the world, this studio promises to examine the potentials for ecological and infrastructural
strategies as alternatives to large single purpose engineering solutions. The two-year
series of sponsored studios is anticipated to begin in the Fall of 2015 and will involve
leading academics and professionals from the fields of architecture, landscape
Commission Memorandum
Page 2
architecture, urban design, and planning. In conjunction with the studio site visits, it will
also convene a scholarly and professional colloquium on site in Miami Beach, to gather
and synthesize the best available knowledge on this site and subject.
The Harvard Graduate School of Design propses the sponsored studio on South Florida
and Sea Level as a two-year teaching program. The work of the studio will be
documented and disseminated through studio reports and site visits. GSD will have
multiple opportunities to engage with donors, the media, and the public. The work will
focus exclusively on questions of sea level rise, and will address the specific work being
done by the City of Miami Beach. The final product will include bound documents,
published by Harvard documenting the problem, issues, best practices and potential
solutions. A copy of the agreement is attached as Exhibit "A".
The overall project budget is estimated at $500,000 over two years. Harvard Graduate
School of Design will commit $150,000 in teaching, research and administrative support
to the project in addition to the City's commitment of$99,998. Additionally, the Graduate
School of Design staff members have applied for an additional $250,000 from Harvard
University Alumni and Friends and the City administration has identified grant funding
sources, including the National Science Foundation to support this project. The city's
commitment of $99,998 will be allocated over two fiscal years,. funding source to be
determined annually during the budget process.
CONCLUSION
A Resolution of the Mayor and City Commission of the City of Miami Beach, Florida,
approving and authorizing an Agreement with the President and Fellows of Harvard
College for a two-year Sponsored Studio, in the amount of $99,998, payable over two
years, to study the impacts of and potential responses to sea level rise for coastal
communities in South Florida.
J LM/JW/J M H
T:WGENDA\2015\March\Grants Harvard Memo.docx