Climate Gentrification Is Miami’s Next Great Challenge

Aside from its glamorous beaches and vibrant nightlife, Miami is known for two things: a lack of affordable housing and its vulnerability to climate change.

What you might not know, is that these problems are making each other worse.

Climate gentrification is the process in which a poor urban population is displaced by a wealthier community moving in to escape climate change. In Miami, this process is expected to worsen in the coming years given the city’s precarious geographical situation. 

Historically, seafront properties are the most expensive and desirable for Miami’s upper class. However, rising sea levels and harsher weather conditions have turned the attention toward historically overlooked terrain like Little Haiti, Overtown and Little Havana.

Even without considering the predatory practices many real estate companies use to push residents out of their homes, the careless gentrification of these neighborhoods is causing considerable harm. 

When luxury residents and businesses suddenly appear without proper planning, property prices skyrocket for everyone.

To prevent this, we must establish legislation that ensures proper precautions are put in place. We can start by ensuring affordable housing units are built alongside the development of luxury units. 

Reserving employment opportunities for local residents when new businesses are developed could assist in ensuring that locals can adapt to a higher cost of living.

Additionally, multiple neighbors can work together—often with the help of non-profit organizations—to buy their block and make collective decisions on what development can be built.

These solutions must be implemented to prevent Miami residents from being displaced in the upcoming years. We must keep the cultural fabric of our city intact.