How a lush Miami park was designed to keep flooding at bay – in pictures

Miami Beach faces an escalating challenge as climate change intensifies flooding through heavier rainfall, more frequent storms, and rising sea levels. The city has responded with an innovative approach: creating parks that function as natural sponges to absorb excess water. Bayshore Park, which opened last year, exemplifies this cutting-edge integration of environmental engineering and community recreation.

Strategic Design Transformation

The Savino & Miller Design Studio, a local landscape architecture firm, spearheaded the transformation of this 19.4-acre site from a former golf course into a multifunctional green space. The design team collaborated with community groups to ensure the park would serve diverse needs, incorporating natural immersion areas, children's playgrounds, and tennis courts.

"We thought, How can we save this land for community benefit and ecological benefit as well?" explained Barry Miller, landscape architect and principal at the firm.

Engineered Lake System for Flood Control

At the park's heart lies a carefully designed lake featuring a century-old banyan tree as its centerpiece. The firm utilized an innovative approach, constructing the park's elevated terrain from soil dredged during lake excavation. This strategic design enables the lake to collect stormwater runoff from an 85-acre watershed, effectively preventing street flooding while protecting the ecologically sensitive Biscayne Bay from harmful runoff that contributes to fish kills and environmental degradation. The half-mile perimeter walking path serves a dual purpose as both recreational amenity and functional levee.

Sophisticated Water Management Infrastructure

Beneath the park's scenic docks, an advanced pump system maintains optimal lake conditions. The lake, stocked with mosquito-eating fish for natural pest control, has the capacity to contain 65.62 acre-feet of flood waters—equivalent to managing a three-day storm event.

Ecological Preservation and Enhancement

The design team prioritized conservation by preserving existing mature trees, which provide essential shade coverage. The park features a dedicated butterfly garden that supports monarch, yellow sulfur, and atala butterflies—the latter being a southeast Florida native species that nearly faced extinction but is recovering through targeted conservation efforts.

Sustainable Material Implementation

Every element of the park, including the parking areas, incorporates water-absorbing design principles. Permeable pavers, manufactured locally in Naples, Florida, overlay an underground filtration system. "We try to get locally made materials since they're less carbon intensive," Miller noted.

Innovative Water Features

Rather than installing a traditional splash pad, the design team created a dynamic linear water feature that connects to the central lake. This system naturally fluctuates based on lake depth, creating an ever-changing water experience. "We wanted the park to feel more natural," said Adriana Savino, architect and principal at the firm. The water feature provides natural cooling effects on hot days while creating an inviting play environment for children.