Coral Springs, Florida, and Freeport, The Bahamas, a mere 160 kilometres (100 miles) apart, are practically neighbours as they face many of the same climate-related challenges, including intensifying heat, stronger storms and flooding.
“Both cities have been so vulnerable to climate change,” said Ginger Moxey, minister for Grand Bahama, the island that is home to Freeport. Coral Springs sits an hour north of Miami and 16 kilometres (10 miles) west of the Florida coast.
While it is offered some protection as an inland city, Coral Springs is vulnerable to the hurricanes that pummel the Caribbean and south Florida region. City officials build storm and flood resilience into their planning and operations. As a string of 700 islands and cays, The Bahamas is especially vulnerable to worsening storms.
“The city of Freeport has been impacted by hurricane after hurricane,” Moxey says. In September 2019, Hurricane Dorian hit The Bahamas as a Category 5 storm, destroying 13,000 homes across the archipelago and leaving 75% of Grand Bahama under water.
Through the Cities Forward program, Freeport is partnering with Coral Springs to build more resilient homes and communities. The U.S. Department of State initiative, launched in April 2023, at the inaugural Cities Summit of the Americas, connects local officials working toward a more sustainable, resilient and inclusive future.
The Institute of the Americas, Resilient Cities Catalyst, and the ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability network of 2,500 local and regional governments support the partnerships between 24 cities in the U.S. and Latin America. The partnership with Coral Springs will support Freeport’s transformation of the Garden Village neighbourhood into a community that can withstand hurricane-force winds and rain, and the hot weather that often follows storms.
Dorian’s devastating winds and rains left many homes in the neighbourhood near Grand Bahama’s central shopping district with severe rain damage, and many buildings still use blue tarps for roofs. In addition to redeveloping buildings devastated by Hurricane Dorian to be more resilient, Grand Bahama plans to address water, electricity and sewer challenges, add green spaces and build green infrastructure that prevents pollution from contaminating stormwater runoff and reduces urban heat.
The project will also develop a storm-resilient community centre and programs for community members. “We’ve weathered so many different storms, and we have always had to rebuild and recover,” Moxey said.
To support Freeport’s revitalization planning, Coral Springs is gathering a team of experts to share resources related to hurricane- and flood-resistant infrastructure, emergency management, community redevelopment and housing, and community programming, says Coral Springs Sustainability Manager Andrea Lemaitre. As Freeport develops a Garden Village community centre, Coral Springs is also designing a new community centre. Plans call for hurricane impact resilience and sustainability programming.
“Freeport and Coral Springs have a great opportunity to further our respective communities’ sustainability and climate resilience goals together,” Lemaitre says. “Our collaboration and knowledge exchange will result in mutual innovation and Freeport’s successful project implementation.”
