Living with water: The Magic of Mangrove Gardens in Miami

Abstract

This thesis explores how landscape architecture can reframe Miami’s relationship with climate change by working with water rather than resisting it. In a city shaped by sea-level rise, flooding, saltwater intrusion, and extreme heat, the thesis proposes mangrove gardens as a public landscape typology that combines ecological restoration, climate adaptation, and cultural imagination. Moving beyond conventional gray infrastructure, the project positions mangroves as living infrastructure that can reduce shoreline vulnerability, support biodiversity, and create spaces for public engagement. Focusing on Miami’s vulnerable coastal edges with the potential for mangrove planting, the design investigates how mangrove gardens can transform areas of risk into resilient and experiential environments. The thesis also critiques the historical advertising postcards and real estate narratives that portrayed Miami as paradise from the 1920s to the 1980s, asking how this landscape identity can emerge through care, repair, and coexistence with dynamic coastal systems. Ultimately, it imagines a more adaptive and enchanting future for living with water in Miami.