THE SILVER LINING TO CLIMATE ADAPTATION -- Part 17

The High Cost of Resiliency Efforts and the Hope that 

Lies in Wise Government Planning and Spending

Jim Murley, the resiliency czar for Miami-Dade County’s nearly three million people, said from its beginning, Miami has been about resourceful souls fighting long odds to adapt to an unforgiving climate at the southern tip of mainland USA. 

“Nobody wanted to live here 100 years ago, because it was miserable,” Murley said of the flood, heat, humidity and mosquito-infested frontier that was Miami. 

“Until we learned to manage land and water 24/7, 365, we weren’t such a fun, diverse, desirable place to be. 

Now, if we don’t keep learning — keep up with exponentially changing technology to lead adaptations — we won’t be here 100 years from now.”

--Miami-based Steve Wright, who lives at ground zero for climate change impact, has contributed to On Common Ground for more than a decade. 

Since 2000, he has blogged daily on urban design, resiliency and creating a better built environment for people with disabilities. 

He collaborates with PlusUrbia Design, a boutique studio that has been honored with the American Planning Association’s national economic development planning award, the highest honor in the profession.