MDPL’s Center for Resiliency and Sustainability launched in 2017 to target education, advocacy, and research between future goals of resiliency and sustainability solutions and historic resources. We believe historic preservation is a critical contributor to stated goals of long-term sustainability and social, economic, and environmental resiliency.

Blog Post: Building Recertification Resources

Annual Resiliency Workshop:

4th Resiliency Workshop, April 2022: click for details.

3rd Annual Resiliency Workshop – April 2019. Click here for 5 Lessons Learned.

2nd Annual Resiliency Workshop – April 2018- With an emphasis on solution-based ideas for historic preservation and resiliency, presentations incorporated multidisciplinary viewpoints with the intent to provide property owners of historic resources with short, medium, and long-term solutions. This two-day weekend event was hosted at the Miami Beach Golf Club on Saturday, April 7th, and at the Art Deco Welcome Center in the Nationally and Locally designated Miami Beach Architectural District on Sunday, April 8th.

1st Annual Resiliency Workshop – April 2017 – Building Elevation expert Rod Scott of the International Association of Structural Movers will educate property owners, engineers, policy makers and members of the public on the process of elevating historic buildings.


Resources:

NPS Adopted Guidelines on Flood Mitigation for Historic Buildings (November 2019). Click here to download


Rising Above – City of Miami Beach – Up-to-date information on the City’s efforts to enhance a resilient Miami Beach, by continuing to invest in reducing and mitigating the social, economic, and physical challenges of our coastal community.


Urban Land Institute (ULI) Advisory Services Panel Report – April 2018 – Featured the efforts of the CRS; “Miami Design Preservation League, the city’s preeminent local preservation organization, held its Annual Resiliency Workshop on April 7–8, 2018. The event began with a lecture series, followed with a day of site assessments in the Flamingo Park neighborhood. The workshop focuses on “solution-based ideas” for resilience and preservation and uses a multidisciplinary approach… With over 30 percent of the building stock designated as historic on the local level, preservation is and will be a critical element of plans for the resilience of Miami Beach.”


Five Lessons Learned – April 2018 – Summary of the 2nd Annual Historic Properties Resiliency Workshop which took place April 7-8, 2018.


Miami Beach by the Numbers – September 2017 – a one-page sheet presented by the Center for Resiliency and Sustainability depicting the geographic constraints, affected historic resources by sea level rise, socioeconomic implications, and sustainability of current construction practices for the historic resources of Miami Beach.


Sea Level Rise and Historic Resources in Miami Beach – September 2017 – Mapping elevation intersections and Historic District choropleths. Research and GIS analyses by Laura Weinstein-Berman.


LIDAR map of Miami Beach, southern portion – July 2017 – This map shows the existing road elevations of Miami Beach roads. Over time, the City plans to elevate low roads to 3.2′ NAVD. Published by the City of Miami Beach.


LIDAR map of Miami Beach, northern portion – July 2017 – This map shows the existing road elevations of Miami Beach roads. Over time, the City plans to elevate low roads to 3.2′ NAVD. Published by the City of Miami Beach.


“Protecting Florida’s History From Hazards” – June 2017 – published by University of Florida Levin College of Law, Conservation Clinic in partnership with National Park Service.


South Florida: the Case of Miami Beach (Harvard Graduate School of Design) – February 2016 – The Harvard Graduate School of Design and the City of Miami Beach are partnering on a multiyear study of the impacts of and potential responses to sea level rise for coastal communities in South Florida. This research project 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.


Economic Contributions of Historic Resources:

Enhancing Paradise: The Impacts of Historic Preservation in Miami-Dade County – PlaceEconomics – October 2018 – This study evaluated the impact of historic preservation on Miami-Dade County and demonstrated the remarkable contribution that historic preservation makes to the economy, the character, the culture, and the environment of Miami-Dade County.


Impact of Property Tax Revenue and Property Value in Miami Beach’s Historic Districts – January 2018 – Utilizing open data, the Center for Resiliency and Sustainability compiled property tax revenues and property tax values in Miami Beach’s historic districts. Currently, at just 30% of the building stock, historic resources contribute 45% of the tax revenue. This report is ongoing, and we are working to incorporate resort taxes collected, as well as adding the two new local historic districts in North Beach to our calculations. Research by Laura Weinstein-Berman.


Adaptation of Historic Structures Resources:

Florida Hazard Mitigation – Elevation Guide – October 2017 – A comprehensive overview of elevation as a strategy for flood mitigation. Document includes details of pre-FIRM building benefits to adaptation, steps for pier & beam elevation, and steps for slab on grade elevation. Presented by Roderick Scott for the International Association of Structural Movers (IASM).


Adaptation Calculator – City of Miami Beach -The City of Miami Beach is committed to investing wisely and properly maintaining your public infrastructure. This GIS-based tool translates technical terms and measurements for the street elevation portion of infrastructure improvements. The purpose is to help you visualize the relationship between your property and your street by telling you if, and how many estimated inches, the road will  be elevated, keeping in mind there will be a gradual slope harmonizing an elevation with your private property.


Foundation Requirements:

Resiliency Guidelines for historic resources in the City of Miami Beach are forthcoming.