Climate Dense[city]: Building TOD on Higher Ground in Allapattah


by Kenner Carmody (MDes '19, Energy & Environments)

This research aims to visualize the required future housing stock necessary to accommodate displaced populations in Miami’s Allapattah neighborhood which will be affected by sea level rise and tidal inundation by the year 2100 (NOAA Office for Coastal Management). Property data, topological maps and NOAA sea-level rise projections are used in order to propose greater density in the City of Miami due to lost surface area around the Miami River. This study evaluates the existing spatial capacity and density distribution under current zoning policy, Miami 21. This study reveals that the current zoning code, overlay districts, and Neighborhood Development Zones (NDZ’s) within the population catchment area of Allapattah are maladaptive and should be completely reconsidered. Sited along Miami’s legacy metro system, a densification proposition in East Allapattah tests the hypothesis that a densified urban zone along underutilized existing transit infrastructure can accommodate new (and equitable) densities in Allapattah where housing, employment and amenities can cluster.

GIS census block data was used to estimate the population and housing units potentially affected by sea level rise and extreme tidal flooding (using NOAA sea level rise model of a 6′-0″ increase in seal level by 2100).
Inundation shown on each block with a unique object ID was divided by the block's total surface area to estimate the total percentage of population and housing stock affected. A summary of these numbers can be seen in Fig. KNC_02
Relocation through transfer development rights (TDR) that allows for down-zoning of high risk geographies, the up-zoning of low-risk geographies and that incentivizes management of stormwater are key strategies in realizing an equitable, mobility oriented, and hyper-dense future for Allapattah and Miami.