Strolling through a park in Miami-Dade County one can expect to see trees, fields, maybe some swings or, thanks to increasingly high demand, a pickleball court – but a piece of concrete with a random number on it? Not so much.
Be that as it may, these seemingly random numerical pieces of concrete are exactly what’s popping up across the county parks system, due to a new initiative by Miami-Dade’s inaugural artist-in-residence, Xavier Cortada.
“I want park visitors to stumble upon a piece of sculpture with an ambiguous number on it that makes them want to do a double take,” said Cortada of the motivation behind the latest phase of his project, “The Underwater.”
(Courtesy of the Xavier Cortada Foundation)
Miami-Dade County parks will soon all have concrete markers indicating the elevations of the ground they sit on.
For those who fall victim to the double take and are curious enough to explore further, each piece of concrete includes a QR code to the project’s website, explaining exactly what that number means.
In the meantime, we’ll just spoil it for you.
The concrete number represents its respective park’s point of elevation. The lower the number, the more vulnerable to sea-level rise it is – and if a park visitor lives just a block or two away, well, it means their home is in the same boat. No pun intended.
Indeed, the goal is to not one day live out of a boat, despite claims by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that seas could rise up to 7 feet by 2100. “The Underwater” is first and foremost an attempt to raise awareness of current risks so as to mitigate them moving forward.
(Courtesy of the Xavier Cortada Foundation)
Each elevation marker will include a QR code linked to the project's website.
Anyone familiar with Cortada’s work may have seen one of the blue numerical picket signs he creates for residents to display in front of their own homes, indicating their elevation relative to sea level. The park markers are his way of taking that project one step further.
Cortada is a regular guest speaker at the county’s myriad environmental summits and events, big or small, private or public. Still, he knows that the audiences at such events are limited. His challenge, then, was to identify “the most public of spaces,” as he put it, one where you don’t need a key card to get in or even a car to travel to.
(Xavier Cortada Foundation)
A map shows what Miami-Dade County would look like after six feet of sea-level rise.
“I’m speaking to the non-choir,” he said. “In fact, I’m not even speaking to churchgoers, using that metaphor. This is not for the nonprofit sector, this is not for the engineers and architects, this is not for the scientists. This is for the people of Miami-Dade County because without them, all those other players are dead in the water.”
In trying to engage the average resident, Cortada was especially eager to appeal to those with children. So, he thought, what better place to communicate with them than a park?
(@XCortada via Instagram)
Xavier Cortada has already designed blue picket signs indicating elevation to display in front of homes.
“Maybe the only reason you’re at that park is to toss a softball with your seven-year-old, and all you want is to care for your kid,” Cortada explained. “But the future that that kid is going to endure — no matter all the schooling they get, all the love you bring, all that’s done to make sure that kid thrives academically — upon commencement when they walk across the stage, they’re entering into a world that’s absolutely going to be hotter, one that’s going to be more vulnerable to climate migration, to pandemics and especially to sea-level rise if they decide to stay in Miami.”
A parent’s top priority is their kid, but how about those who don’t have children? Well, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs puts shelter right at the foundation, and guess what’s most at risk of a 7-foot rise in sea levels: a home whose elevation is a mere 3 or 4 feet.
(Courtesy of the Xavier Cortada Foundation)
Xavier Cortada designing one of his concrete elevation markers.
Even if your house is sitting pretty at 9 or 10 feet, Cortada has two words for you: flood insurance. Though the prices of one’s home on Zillow may be rising every day, he says it’s only a matter of time before the real-estate bubble bursts due to rising rates and rising risks.
“I know that in situations like that, there will be absolute winners and losers,” Cortada said. “Those who have a lot of wealth will be able to take advantage of the situation and those who don’t won’t.”
So, it stands that everyone is affected, meaning everyone must fight back. After scrolling past a quite alarming map of what Miami-Dade County would look like with just 6 feet of sea-level rise, people who scan the QR code on the park markers are prompted to take a series of actions: contact elected officials, volunteer with local environmental organizations, explore educational resources, or create your own numerical picket sign to engage other neighbors.
(@SuperMixConcrete via Instagram)
"The Underwater" was launched in February 2024 by Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, the UM College of Engineering, Supermix Concrete and the Xavier Cortada Foundation.
“These signs are platforms for community building,” Cortada said. “They’re a way of awakening our community spirit to tackle a huge challenge that befalls us.”
Though the signs are absolutely an indication of danger ahead, they’re also a beacon of hope. Cortada notes how the very material from which the park markers are created – sustainable concrete – is itself an example of innovative and positive change.
Donated by Florida-based Supermix Concrete, the material consists of fiberglass rods instead of metal rebar, the latter of which requires toxic elements to prevent rusting. The concrete therefore not only lasts longer, but also combats the effects of one of the most polluting industries in the world; concrete production accounts for more than 7% of global carbon emissions.
(Courtesy of the Xavier Cortada Foundation)
Elevation markers are already installed at seven parks across Miami-Dade County.
The resilience of the Supermix Concrete also allows the elevation markers to play another role for future residents.
“Some are going to be at an elevation so low that no matter how much we work to reduce our greenhouse gasses, they will eventually be submerged,” said Cortada. “So, these aren’t just to warn present-day residents, but a secondary component is to mark where we were.”
Each marker will also include the year they were installed on the back of it.
The project will result in approximately 250 markers across Miami-Dade County Parks and is led by the Xavier Cortada Foundation. The University of Miami College of Engineering is also helping out with the building process.
"Through this large-scale, interactive public art intervention, the foundation is creatively educating communities across Miami-Dade, catalyzing processes that build resilience and encourage civic engagement,” the foundation’s executive director, Adam Roberti, wrote in an email.
The signs are already installed at a select number of parks throughout the county, including at Oak Grove Park near North Miami Beach and in parts of south and southwest Miami-Dade.
“The best vehicle that we have to solve this problem are those people who are impacted,” said Cortada. “It’s our society. That’s how you build a movement, and what I’m trying to do is trigger conversations to create that movement. I believe in people and their ability to rise up and solve a problem, but they need to know that there’s a problem.”