Biscayne bay: Turn the tide

Biscayne bay: Turn the tide: An integrated landscape approach for coastal restoration in Biscayne Bay through spatial and ecological interventions

van Driel, Iris (TU Delft Architecture and the Built Environment)

Nijhuis, Steffen (mentor)
Yoshida, Yuka (mentor)
Willers, Wouter (graduation committee)

Delft University of Technology

Architecture, Urbanism and Building Sciences

2019-07-04

The coastline of South Florida has undergone a drastic change in the last century and this has had a major impact on flood safety and natural resources of its inhabitants. Natural coastlines supporting mangrove and wetland have been transformed into seawalls with buildings. It is estimated that in the last 100 years, 40 percent of the mangrove coast and significant parts of wetland, pine forest and sea grass have disappeared. (“Florida’s Mangroves | Florida Department of Environmental Protection”, 2019). Mangrove forests stand out to be a future- oriented way of natural coastal defense for South Florida. Although they mainly appear in calm tropical waters, they can withstand and recover from tropical storms. Their unique growth habit with a characteristic root system and branching forms a robust forest, that functions as a natural coastal defense. Also, marine life is dependent on the nursery grounds provided by the root system of the trees and maintaining a healthy fish stock (Sheppard, 2018). We can learn from the past that this forest provides the land with a natural levee and protect against flooding. Also, this natural system has potential to adapt to the consequences of climate change that highly urbanized areas like Miami are already facing and which will increase rapidly in the future. This research identifies and explores design strategies and principles for the mangrove landscape of Biscayne Bay in order to reduce the flood risk of Miami Metropolitan Area, as well as provides aesthetic, ecological and functional qualities that contributes to the identity and resilience of this coastal region. This is done through design-related-research, that divides this research in two domains. Design research, which consist of a system analysis and examination of best practices and research by design, which involves design experiments. The result is a layered landscape strategy that contributes to the harmony of the natural coastal landscape of Biscayne Bay and thereby restores its functions. The systematic strategy is converted into a spatial design, applying principles gathered from best practices. This landscape architectural design adds an extra dimension to the mangrove landscape that will invite the residents of the Miami Metropolitan Area to experience through exposure to changes and value its aesthetic and ecological qualities and protective functions.

mangrove landscape
Biscayne Bay
South Florida
landscape architecture
spatial design
flood protection
ecological restoration
social reconnection
research by design
design with natural processes

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:e20136b3-37c8-4268-86fc-5ee778ac564f

25.605221, -80.220825

Student theses

master thesis

© 2019 Iris van Driel