Will Miami’s Growth Be Cut Short by Sea-Level Rise?

Miami is a uniquely enigmatic city. Despite threats of climate change and sea-level rise, it continues to attract residents and real estate investment, with gleaming new towers dotting its skyline. Though home to dozens of billionaires, the city has drastic income inequality.

Few understand Miami better than sociologist Alejandro Portes. A leading scholar of urbanism, global cities, and the migrations and ethnic enclaves that shape them, Portes splits his time between Princeton University and the University of Miami. A Cuban-American whose family emigrated to Miami in 1960, Portes has written two important books on the region: City on the Edge: The Transformation of Miami with Alex Stepick in 1993, and The Global Edge: Miami in the Twenty-First Century with Ariel C. Armony, published earlier this year.