Miami-Dade County, City of Miami and City of Miami Beach today announced the release of the Resilient305 Strategy, an unprecedented plan that entails multilateral collaboration between governmental, nongovernmental, business and academic organizations to address the shocks and stresses in the Greater Miami & the Beaches region and ensure a resilient and thriving future for all – environmentally, economically and socially.
The Resilient305 Strategy focuses on three main goal areas – Places, People & Pathways. It leverages collective efforts that will better prepare our communities and neighborhoods for the increasing occurrence of shocks, such as hurricanes and infrastructure failures, and will also mitigate long-term stresses, such as sea level rise, crippling traffic and severe economic inequalities.
Developed over a three-year period, with the support of the 100 Resilient Cities (100RC) Network – pioneered by the Rockefeller Foundation and The Miami Foundation, the Resilient305 Strategy was crafted with input from thousands of stakeholders through a series of public meetings, surveys and focus groups.
Implementation of the Strategy will be overseen by the PIVOT Team (Progress, Innovation, and Vision for Our Tomorrow) led by Miami-Dade County, City of Miami, City of Miami Beach and The Miami Foundation, with the participation of municipalities countywide and a host of partners, including the Army Corps of Engineers, the Miami-Dade County Public School System, universities, nonprofit organizations and other public partners.
“Resilience challenges rarely respect municipal boundaries, and Miami-Dade County, the City of Miami, and the City of Miami Beach have seen this firsthand. As a regional strategy for resilience, Resilient305 represents a unique and critical collaboration to prepare South Florida for major 21st-century challenges,» stated 100 Resilient Cities President Michael Berkowitz. «It also serves as an important model for other regions seeking to take collective action to new kinds of physical, social, and economic shocks and stresses on display worldwide.”
Greater Miami & the Beaches – The Guiding Light Behind the Resilient305 Strategy
Greater Miami & the Beaches (GM&B) is a unique partnership of Miami-Dade County, the City of Miami, and the City of Miami Beach. Together, they led the development of the region’s resilience strategy under the 100RC Network. To ensure the Resilient305 Strategy has a broad impact, GM&B will continue to expand to include the other 32 municipalities, other community organizations and anchor institutions.
This unique partnership not only represents Miami’s diverse communities and leadership, but also serves as an international example of the unique perspective and all-inclusive approach that will be needed for the successful implementation of a regional resilience strategy. With buy-in from all, the Resilient305 Strategy will ensure that every person, business, organization and neighborhood in Greater Miami & The Beaches will have the opportunity to prosper and recover quickly in the aftermath of major regional events.
“The launch of the Resilient305 Strategy marks a defining moment in Miami-Dade County’s history. Much more than a blueprint for the future, it is a living, breathing, fully functional roadmap for the present,» said Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Giménez. «Best of all, it is backed by the full weight of the County’s multiyear capital planning budget, which has earmarked more than $22 billion for wide-ranging resilience efforts.”
The Resilient305 Strategy – Building a Greater Future Through the Region’s Diversity
With residents speaking more than 65 languages and hailing from over 100 countries, Greater Miami & The Beaches is one of the most diverse metropolitan regions in the world, with more than 50 percent of its population born in other countries.
The unique perspective that this engenders, combined with a dispersed form of local government, burgeoning growth, youthfulness and small business verve make it the perfect region to be a global leader in tackling the challenges of the 21stcentury and beyond.
The Resilient305 Strategy leverages the characteristics that are intrinsic to its communities to create economic, environmental and community resilience that will withstand external shocks, such as natural disasters, public health crises and severe economic downturns.
Whether it is sea level rise, health and safety, mobility or economic opportunity, each neighborhood has unique resilience priorities. By working individually with each of the region’s municipalities, GM&B can ensure that it is collaboratively developing solutions that address the issues that are most critical to specific communities. This ensures a greater likelihood of community engagement and overall success of the strategy, regardless of language, cultural background or socioeconomic level.
“Launching our Resilient305 strategy marks a major milestone for our city and region’s resilience efforts,» said City of Miami Mayor Francis Suarez. «Successfully combatting our resilience challenges, from sea level rise to job creation, depends on this unified approach that will maximize resources, promote engagement, and serve as a model of collaboration for the region and the world”
Resilient305 Strategy Actions – The People, Places and Pathways That Make The 305 Home.
More than 50 actions have been identified, developed and organized for the Resilient305 Strategy into three overarching goal areas: Places, People, and Pathways.
Many actions are already being targeted through existing initiatives, including the Miami-Dade County SMART Plan, the City of Miami Forever Bond and Miami Beach Rising Above. To achieve true resilience, the Resilent305 Strategy goes beyond the initiatives of the public sector to include businesses, community organizations and individuals at large.
Resilient305 Strategy features more than 50 actions designed to make the region more resilient to shocks and stresses while building a thriving community for all
à PLACES – Addresses location-based challenges by enhancing climate resilience through design and planning; creating, connecting and improving mobility and housing options; and safeguarding our ecosystems. Actions in this goal area focus on building healthy coral reefs and ecosystems, reducing storm surge vulnerability, developing mobility hubs and connectivity, and redeveloping public housing to make it more resilient, among others.
à PEOPLE – Aims to improve the lives of citizens every day, rain or shine, by supporting job and wealth creation; addressing specific health needs for the most vulnerable; and preparing and empowering neighborhoods and networks to anticipate and respond to disruptions, both large and small. The strategy will look at ensuring representation in the census, breaking the cycle of youth violence, increasing resilience through volunteer emergency training and engaging communities through public art to help enhance the region’s social sustainability.
à PATHWAYS – Seeks to bring together governments, businesses, community organizations, and educational institutions by setting common goals and committing to actions, such as utilizing a pre-planning for post-disaster toolkit, creating an actionable science advisory panel (ASAP), and utilizing the City Water Resilience Approach to improve coordination and resilience on water issues.
“In all of my years of public service, this is the boldest commitment I have seen. I represent residents on a barrier island, and we have been aggressively confronting the climate change challenge head on,» said City of Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber. «I fully embrace implementing the strong actions in the Resilient305 strategy. I am confident that our shared resilience challenges are surmountable – even more so when we address them together, leveraging our strengths, and joining forces across city borders.”
Implementing the Resilient305 Strategy
GM&B recognizes that making the Resilient305 Strategy come to life will require dedicated effort from the PIVOT team, which will oversee the prioritization, implementation, and monitoring of progress on this 20-year vision. PIVOT will begin with leadership from Miami-Dade County, the City of Miami, the City of Miami Beach and The Miami Foundation and will expand quickly to include all stakeholders and municipalities.
About Resilient305
Resilient 305 is a collaborative effort between Miami-Dade County, the City of Miami and the City of Miami Beach established in 2016, with the support of the Rockefeller Foundation’s 100 Resilient Cities and The Miami Foundation, to create a culture and consciousness in our communities which focuses on the issues that are most affecting our ability to live, work and prosper in the region.
About Greater Miami and The Beaches
Greater Miami & the Beaches is a collective of the 34 eclectic and diverse municipalities that make up Miami-Dade County. The region includes a young population of more than 2.7 million residents who speak more than 60 languages and hail from over 100 different countries.
About 100 Resilient Cities
100 Resilient Cities – Pioneered by The Rockefeller Foundation (100RC) helps cities around the world become more resilient to social, economic, and physical challenges which are a growing part of the 21st century. 100RC provides assistance through funding for a Chief Resilience Officer in each of the cities members, who will lead resilience efforts; resources for drafting a Resilience Strategy; access to private sector, public sector, academic, and NGO resilience tools; and membership in a global network of peer cities to share best practices and challenges. For more information, visit: www.100ResilientCities.org.