Thirty-two years ago, the icons of downtown Miami’s sky-scape were the courthouse and the Freedom Tower. The InterContinental Hotel was a stripling, and the Southeast Financial Center was just opening.
If that isn’t enough to boggle the mind, check out a new time-lapse video from Google that shows how quickly Miami-Dade County has grown.
The video, compiled from satellite imagery, shows the county’s expansion westward toward the Urban Development Boundary since 1984. (Zoom out to see the entire region. You can also slow down the speed.)
During that time, Miami-Dade’s population has grown from 1.63 million in 1980 to 2.69 million today, according to U.S. Census figures. Once-green areas have been filled in with homes, driveways, garages, pools and shopping centers, reflecting a boom in density.
One thing that’s harder to see from the video: How much taller buildings have gotten. Roughly 130 condo buildings are under construction in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, according to Cranespotters.com. Many are highrises.
Google’s time-lapse project also allows users to zoom in on other parts of the globe and watch videos on special topics including deforestation in the Amazon and the shrinking of the Dead Sea.
Read more here
BY NICHOLAS NEHAMAS
nnehamas@miamiherald.com
