1- Infrastructure, Including Road Networks, Storm-Water Management, and Water/Energy Utilities;

The Harvard GSD Project on Southwest Florida and Sea Level: The Case of Collier County (including Naples, Marco Island, and Everglades City)

Nader Ardalan

The Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD) recently launched the Harvard GSD Project on the South of Florida and Sea Level, a multi-year study of the impacts of and potential adaptive responses to sea level rise for coastal communities in Southwest Florida (the Miami Beach study has already started in 2015). This research project studies the implications of rising sea levels and increased storm events on the economy, ecology, infrastructure, quality of life and cultural identity of municipalities across the region in relation to their metropolitan and regional contexts. What will be the most probable and significant impacts associated with sea level rise and increased storm events on Collier County? These impacts will be based on a range of scenarios, from statistically most likely to least likely, between the present and 2100, with a particular benchmark focus on planning for 2050. These scenarios should be examined in relation to four key thematic subtopics including:

1- Infrastructure, including road networks, storm-water management, and water/energy utilities;

2- Land Use, with focus on coastline, hinterland and land values;

3- Ecology, with focus on environmental, habitat, human and species implications;

4- Recreation, with a focus on coastal beaches, leisure amenities and tourism

The coastal conditions and singular cultural heritage of the cities of Naples, Marco Island, and Everglades City in Collier County 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 Southwest Florida’s economy and identity upon their specific landscape conditions, such as those of Naples or Marco Island, this research proposes to use the frameworks of green infrastructure, landscape ecology, cultural heritage, and resilient urbanism as potential responses to the threats and opportunities associated with sea level rise. The scope would include three specific scales of work: Regional, County, and Municipal.

The project will assemble a core team of professors, researchers, and students led by the GSD Office for Urbanization. The core team may convene collaborators and consultants from across Harvard University, including Schools of Law, Business, Public Health, Kennedy School of Public Policy and Center for the Environment and will collaborate with local and regional institutions and partners. The project lead will be John E. Irving Professor Charles Waldheim. Architect and Collier County civic leader Nader Ardalan will serve as SeniorProject Advisor.