Post on 11-Apr-2017
Climate Ready Boston: Proactive Planning for
Future Climate Impacts
Challenge: How to get Bostonians
to invest in flood control before a
disaster?
City was already engaged in climate
mitigation
Superstorm Sandy
Lower Manhattan
Breezy Point
Boston’s Waterfront,
October 29, 2012
“If Sandy had peaked only 5½ hours earlier, we would have had a
‘100-year flood’”
“Luck is not a good planning strategy”
Key Lessons• Don’t waste a crisis.• Build on existing institutions
and policy initiatives.
Preparing ForThe Rising Tide
• Released February 2013 with then-Mayor Menino who vowed to act before the next big one.
• Maps Boston’s vulnerability to coastal flooding at future sea levels.
• Provides case studies of neighborhood-level vulnerability assessments.
Today’s High
Tide + 2.5 ft.
Could flood nearly 7% of Boston
Current100-Year
Flood
Annual Flood
by 2050
Daily HighTide by 2100
Today’s High Tide + 5.0
ft.
Could Flood Over
30%of Boston
100-Year Flood
around 2050
Annual Flood by
2100
Today’s High Tide + 7.5
ft.
Key Lessons• Today’s 100-year flood could
be 2050’s annual flood and 2100’s high tide.
• Identify vulnerabilities and how to minimize risk of harm.
• We have time, but we have a lot to do. We need to start soon.
Key Lessons• Sea level rise is a real concern
in Boston.• There are existing design
solutions.• The results can be beautiful.
Key Lessons• Many cities are successfully
using “Living with Water” beautiful, flood-resilient designs.
• We don’t always have to keep water out.
• Make every dollar count twice by addressing other urban goals while decreasing flood risks.
International Design Competition
Boston Living With Water Design Competition
• Launched at ABX• Applied research to real places• 50 entries by 342 participants
from seven countries• Included multiple free forums• Collaborative competition• www.BostonLivingwithWater.org
Sandy Second Anniversary
Decision Maker Participation
Community Engagement
Learning by Doing
Infrastructure Planning
Sea Level Rise 101
Big Ideas Mashup
Awards and Publication
Key Lessons• We need district-wide
solutions.• Involve community leaders
early in design.• We will need both resilient
and resistant solutions.• Now we need to
institutionalize what we’ve learned.
Next up: Climate Ready
Boston