7 ms·

This is one reason why I'm bullish on Miami. Miami has to be the most YIMBY-friendly city in the US. I moved here last November and the density is so wonderful

by maxcan 6y ago

This is one reason why I'm bullish on Miami. Miami has to be the most YIMBY-friendly city in the US. I moved here last November and the density is so wonderful. I'm pretty sure that I can see more 40+ story buildings from my balcony in Brickell than exist in Northern California.

rectang 6y ago
Sure, why hold back when it's going to be washed away by rising seas anyway? https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/miami-is-the-most-vulnerable-coastal-city-worldwide/ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/miami-is-the-most... > Miami Is the "Most Vulnerable" Coastal City Worldwide
- vagrantJin 6y ago
  Thats some negativity.
- maxcan 6y ago
  They already have a massive pumping infrastructure due to seasonal flooding unrelated to global warming. The local and county governments, unlike the SFBA, are not completely dysfunctional and TBH I trust Miami city and Miami-Dade County to handle global warming induced flooding more than I trust the City of San Francisco to handle a sunny spring day with no issues. Also, the Dutch figured out how to live with cities below sea level 300 years ago, we'll manage.
  - Fern_Blossom 6y ago
    Floridian here, travelled the country for about a decade and came back to Florida the past few years. Until you see how other state, county and municipality governments function, you can't really appreciate how well Florida gov generally works. When growing up in Florida, I was led to believe it was the most backward ass state in the country. Didn't help I also lived in a rural county. After living in half a dozen states in a decade (and visiting many more for long periods)... no. Florida has its shit together compared to most other states. Are there problems here, absolutely. But no where near as bad as other states. Especially when it comes to environmental planning and protection. Still some problems in the Everglades area with some fucktards, but on a whole, environmentalism is more active here than anywhere else. Just the news coverage is dismal. While I'm on the Space Coast, you're right to not be that worried in Miami. Plus, there are massive seawall projects that are supposed to start soon if they haven't already. I know they were planned for 2020, but the whole covid thing through a monkeywrench in that. Last I read, there's some $20b being spent in the Miami-Dade area in the next decade all in response to climate change. A lot of the infrastructure is getting reworked, along with water management. It's like people think we're surprised that nature can kill us. We "worry" about it half of the year, every year. We welcome the challenge... as long as we stock up on alcohol. Then bring it on. But if those liquor stores close, it's panic time.
    - maxcan 6y ago
      Very true. It surprised me how non-dysfunctional government interactions are here relative to the SFBA and the reputation of Florida in general. DMV appointments are very easy to get and you can get in and out pretty quickly. In CA, you had to camp out at the DMV at 6am to have a 50/50 chance of getting out by noon. 311 type issues in miami are handled pretty quickly, same day in some cases. In SFBA you could go months before seeing public safety issues addressed, if ever.
      - teachrdan 6y ago
        Every time I've had to go to the DMV in Oakland, CA, I've been able to make an appointment online and be in and out within 45 minutes. More importantly, the efficiency with which the state handles DMV appointments is not necessarily correlated with how well they will handle rising sea levels for (probably) the rest of the century. Miami already suffers from regular flooding that causes a mixture of seawater and raw sewage to flow through its streets. I don't buy that a massive public works project is going to make all these problems go away. https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2019/08/08/analysis-sea-level-rise-is-combining-with-other-factors-regularly-flood-miami/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2019/08/08/analysis-s...
        bobthepanda 5y ago
        Also, IIRC the issue in Miami is that the local geology is limestone, which is very porous. The water could go under the seawall and back up.
  - throwaway0a5e 6y ago
    >The local and county governments, unlike the SFBA, are not completely dysfunctional and TBH I trust Miami city and Miami-Dade County to handle global warming induced flooding more than I trust the City of San Francisco to handle a sunny spring day with no issues. I'm sure a liberal application of SF/NYC money will solve any governmental competency that Miami has build up over the years. Look at how places like Boulder are faring.
  - dakna 6y ago
    > the Dutch figured out how to live with cities below sea level 300 years ago, we'll manage They also paid for this infrastructure over the course of 300 years on a national level. How this will work for a single city in a huge state in a short amount of time is unclear to me, besides the fact that Amsterdam was built at the end of a bay, which the Netherlands then closed off using floodgates. Miami is facing open water. Lots of open water.
- pc86 6y ago
  I wonder what the insurance rates are
pram 6y ago
Since I've seen the clear sky, car-depth flooding on normal roads first hand: I'm definitely not bullish on Miami even existing in the future
- refurb 6y ago
  Makes sense. No country has ever dealt with sea level rise or flooding before.
  - jdhn 6y ago
    The problem with Miami's flooding isn't that the sea is washing over it, it's coming from underneath it due to the porous limestone. Short of raising all the buildings and roads, how do you solve that?
    - refurb 6y ago
      Check out what New Orleans does with the water infiltration.
dragonwriter 6y ago
> I'm pretty sure that I can see more 40+ story buildings from my balcony in Brickell than exist in Northern California. Uh, yeah, Miami’s a bigger (but poorer) metro than SFBA and doesn't have the seismic issues of the Bay Area, so it would be weird if that wasn’t true.
- vsef 6y ago
  Miami metro (6.1m) is bigger than SF-Oakland metro (4.7m) but smaller than the SFBA (7.1m) and much smaller than the greater bay combined statistical area (9.6m), whereas the greater Miami statistical area is similar to Miami metro (6.8m). Comparing the sizes of sprawly megalopolis areas like this is hard, but it's certainly not true that Miami area is more populous than Northern California.
- maxcan 6y ago
  The "seismic issue" is a red herring tossed around by SFBA NIMBY's to justify their nonsense. Taipei and Tokyo have nearly an order of magnitude larger seismic activity than the SFBA and have no issues building lots of dense, tall buildings in their urban cores.
bogomipz 6y ago
I would be curious to hear your thoughts on Brickell. How did you end up selecting Miami?
- maxcan 6y ago
  A few reasons: I was tired of the cost and dysfunction of the SFBA. Shift towards remote work makes me far less dependent on physically being in the SFBA. The nice parts of Miami, relative to the SFBA, are shockingly clean and safe feeling. Even the rough and dangerous parts of Miami are still cleaner and feel safer than SFBA. Miami has its share of crime but it tends to be organized and less random and to be blunt, if a bit amoral, far less likely to affect me. I really enjoy the vibrance and density of coastal Miami. Reminds me of Singapore. I love warm weather and beaches. The Pacific Ocean is prettier than the Atlantic, but the Atlantic is far warmer and swimmable most of the year. I grew up in Philly, Miami isn't quite Philly / NYC / Boston but still has more of an East Coast vibe. Tax benefits to Florida. My 81 year old mom lives in Boca, so this is far better for family. My fiancée is Brazilian so this is closer to her family and there is a huge Brazilian population here. Even though I've always been politically active, the last few years have been exhausting. Miami's dominant political culture is pure apathy and its nice that not every aspect of has to be dominated by some political issue or another. As for Brickell, its a great way to "start" in Miami. For us, we wanted a simple move where we could rent an apartment for a year before figuring out where to settle more permanently. Its incredibly walkable, safe, etc.
asdff 6y ago
Miami is far from YIMBY. Transit is paltry, bike lanes are few and far between in the area despite the region being flat as a board and the weather being relatively perfect. Outside the condos and hotels along the waterfront, the area is predominantly single family zoned all the way to the everglades. Housing costs are rising as a result. There is demand for the apartments all through southbeach to be twice as tall at least, but it is zoning and the same old NIMBYism you'd find in California that is holding this area back and pushing rents higher and making commutes longer.
- maxcan 6y ago
  Transit is paltry and needs to be improved. But, the culture and political structure means that once there is sufficient demand and need it will be far easier to build. Also, bike lanes have been improving significantly.
whatsmyusername 5y ago
How long until DeSantis decides to push for an Arkansas/North Carolina style bathroom bill? I’ll stick to states that aren’t trying to criminalize my partner having to pee.

by maxcan 6y ago

rectang 6y ago

Sure, why hold back when it's going to be washed away by rising seas anyway? https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/miami-is-the-most-vulnerable-coastal-city-worldwide/ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/miami-is-the-most... > Miami Is the "Most Vulnerable" Coastal City Worldwide

vagrantJin 6y ago
Thats some negativity.
maxcan 6y ago
They already have a massive pumping infrastructure due to seasonal flooding unrelated to global warming. The local and county governments, unlike the SFBA, are not completely dysfunctional and TBH I trust Miami city and Miami-Dade County to handle global warming induced flooding more than I trust the City of San Francisco to handle a sunny spring day with no issues. Also, the Dutch figured out how to live with cities below sea level 300 years ago, we'll manage.
- Fern_Blossom 6y ago
  Floridian here, travelled the country for about a decade and came back to Florida the past few years. Until you see how other state, county and municipality governments function, you can't really appreciate how well Florida gov generally works. When growing up in Florida, I was led to believe it was the most backward ass state in the country. Didn't help I also lived in a rural county. After living in half a dozen states in a decade (and visiting many more for long periods)... no. Florida has its shit together compared to most other states. Are there problems here, absolutely. But no where near as bad as other states. Especially when it comes to environmental planning and protection. Still some problems in the Everglades area with some fucktards, but on a whole, environmentalism is more active here than anywhere else. Just the news coverage is dismal. While I'm on the Space Coast, you're right to not be that worried in Miami. Plus, there are massive seawall projects that are supposed to start soon if they haven't already. I know they were planned for 2020, but the whole covid thing through a monkeywrench in that. Last I read, there's some $20b being spent in the Miami-Dade area in the next decade all in response to climate change. A lot of the infrastructure is getting reworked, along with water management. It's like people think we're surprised that nature can kill us. We "worry" about it half of the year, every year. We welcome the challenge... as long as we stock up on alcohol. Then bring it on. But if those liquor stores close, it's panic time.
  - maxcan 6y ago
    Very true. It surprised me how non-dysfunctional government interactions are here relative to the SFBA and the reputation of Florida in general. DMV appointments are very easy to get and you can get in and out pretty quickly. In CA, you had to camp out at the DMV at 6am to have a 50/50 chance of getting out by noon. 311 type issues in miami are handled pretty quickly, same day in some cases. In SFBA you could go months before seeing public safety issues addressed, if ever.
    - teachrdan 6y ago
      Every time I've had to go to the DMV in Oakland, CA, I've been able to make an appointment online and be in and out within 45 minutes. More importantly, the efficiency with which the state handles DMV appointments is not necessarily correlated with how well they will handle rising sea levels for (probably) the rest of the century. Miami already suffers from regular flooding that causes a mixture of seawater and raw sewage to flow through its streets. I don't buy that a massive public works project is going to make all these problems go away. https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2019/08/08/analysis-sea-level-rise-is-combining-with-other-factors-regularly-flood-miami/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2019/08/08/analysis-s...
      - bobthepanda 5y ago
        Also, IIRC the issue in Miami is that the local geology is limestone, which is very porous. The water could go under the seawall and back up.
- throwaway0a5e 6y ago
  >The local and county governments, unlike the SFBA, are not completely dysfunctional and TBH I trust Miami city and Miami-Dade County to handle global warming induced flooding more than I trust the City of San Francisco to handle a sunny spring day with no issues. I'm sure a liberal application of SF/NYC money will solve any governmental competency that Miami has build up over the years. Look at how places like Boulder are faring.
- dakna 6y ago
  > the Dutch figured out how to live with cities below sea level 300 years ago, we'll manage They also paid for this infrastructure over the course of 300 years on a national level. How this will work for a single city in a huge state in a short amount of time is unclear to me, besides the fact that Amsterdam was built at the end of a bay, which the Netherlands then closed off using floodgates. Miami is facing open water. Lots of open water.
pc86 6y ago
I wonder what the insurance rates are

pram 6y ago

Since I've seen the clear sky, car-depth flooding on normal roads first hand: I'm definitely not bullish on Miami even existing in the future

refurb 6y ago
Makes sense. No country has ever dealt with sea level rise or flooding before.
- jdhn 6y ago
  The problem with Miami's flooding isn't that the sea is washing over it, it's coming from underneath it due to the porous limestone. Short of raising all the buildings and roads, how do you solve that?
  - refurb 6y ago
    Check out what New Orleans does with the water infiltration.

dragonwriter 6y ago

> I'm pretty sure that I can see more 40+ story buildings from my balcony in Brickell than exist in Northern California. Uh, yeah, Miami’s a bigger (but poorer) metro than SFBA and doesn't have the seismic issues of the Bay Area, so it would be weird if that wasn’t true.

vsef 6y ago
Miami metro (6.1m) is bigger than SF-Oakland metro (4.7m) but smaller than the SFBA (7.1m) and much smaller than the greater bay combined statistical area (9.6m), whereas the greater Miami statistical area is similar to Miami metro (6.8m). Comparing the sizes of sprawly megalopolis areas like this is hard, but it's certainly not true that Miami area is more populous than Northern California.
maxcan 6y ago
The "seismic issue" is a red herring tossed around by SFBA NIMBY's to justify their nonsense. Taipei and Tokyo have nearly an order of magnitude larger seismic activity than the SFBA and have no issues building lots of dense, tall buildings in their urban cores.

bogomipz 6y ago

I would be curious to hear your thoughts on Brickell. How did you end up selecting Miami?

maxcan 6y ago
A few reasons: I was tired of the cost and dysfunction of the SFBA. Shift towards remote work makes me far less dependent on physically being in the SFBA. The nice parts of Miami, relative to the SFBA, are shockingly clean and safe feeling. Even the rough and dangerous parts of Miami are still cleaner and feel safer than SFBA. Miami has its share of crime but it tends to be organized and less random and to be blunt, if a bit amoral, far less likely to affect me. I really enjoy the vibrance and density of coastal Miami. Reminds me of Singapore. I love warm weather and beaches. The Pacific Ocean is prettier than the Atlantic, but the Atlantic is far warmer and swimmable most of the year. I grew up in Philly, Miami isn't quite Philly / NYC / Boston but still has more of an East Coast vibe. Tax benefits to Florida. My 81 year old mom lives in Boca, so this is far better for family. My fiancée is Brazilian so this is closer to her family and there is a huge Brazilian population here. Even though I've always been politically active, the last few years have been exhausting. Miami's dominant political culture is pure apathy and its nice that not every aspect of has to be dominated by some political issue or another. As for Brickell, its a great way to "start" in Miami. For us, we wanted a simple move where we could rent an apartment for a year before figuring out where to settle more permanently. Its incredibly walkable, safe, etc.

asdff 6y ago

Miami is far from YIMBY. Transit is paltry, bike lanes are few and far between in the area despite the region being flat as a board and the weather being relatively perfect. Outside the condos and hotels along the waterfront, the area is predominantly single family zoned all the way to the everglades. Housing costs are rising as a result. There is demand for the apartments all through southbeach to be twice as tall at least, but it is zoning and the same old NIMBYism you'd find in California that is holding this area back and pushing rents higher and making commutes longer.

maxcan 6y ago
Transit is paltry and needs to be improved. But, the culture and political structure means that once there is sufficient demand and need it will be far easier to build. Also, bike lanes have been improving significantly.

whatsmyusername 5y ago

How long until DeSantis decides to push for an Arkansas/North Carolina style bathroom bill? I’ll stick to states that aren’t trying to criminalize my partner having to pee.