Spolia in the context of combating sea level rise represents a new approach to preservation and urban planning, especially in Miami where rising waters will drastically alter the landscape and displace residents. This challenge also presents an opportunity to reimagine urban living with greater efficiency and environmental consciousness, particularly focusing on the self-sufficiency that many American suburbs lack. The aim is to create an idealized future version of Little Havana, maintaining its cultural fabric while enhancing resilience and sustainability.

Anticipating significant water intrusion, it’s crucial to preserve valued buildings and community nostalgia before they are lost. By mapping projected water rise, essential blocks can be identified and preserved incrementally. These blocks are then rearranged in a puzzle-like manner on elevated platforms, creating new urban spaces, parks, and relationships while maintaining the neighborhood's essence. Buildings on these blocks that are not culturally significant are preserved by their footprint and reimagined as hydroponic gardens, mechanical centers, circulation towers, services and housing complexes.

The elevated platform design, supported by columns, allows the new community to develop above the rising waters, with essential services and housing placed closer together for walkability and safety. The blocks are arranged as stepping "stones" supported by truss systems, forming a vertical neighborhood that grows and evolves over time. This project, spanning decades, aims to offer employment to displaced residents, fostering a familiar yet innovative urban environment that addresses sea level rise while preserving the community’s heritage and enhancing connectivity with the rest of the city.