*CLIMATE READY BOSTON | Primary Case

Boston, MA
STOSS Landscape Urbanism, Western and Sampson, Sasaki Associates

Boston's location at the confluence of three rivers, and its sheltered harbor, helped the city to become the largest residential and commercial center in New England after colonization in the early 1600s. Today, those same geographic assets are also vulnerabilities, as Boston has experienced 21 emergencies requiring state and federal disaster declarations over the past twenty years. In addition, Boston has been ranked the third most gentrified city in the United States, with significant disparities in social and financial equity. Climate Ready Boston is an interdisciplinary strategy for climate resilience and adaptation that included updated climate projects, a vulnerability assessment, eight focus areas across the city of Boston, and policy, planning, programmatic and financial climate resilience initiatives. The plan was coordinated with Imagine Boston 2030, a citywide plan that identified areas where population density and economic activity could be increased, and 100 Resilient Cities. Climate Ready Boston identified vulnerabilities including extreme heat, precipitation, storms, and a higher rate of sea level rise in the north Atlantic Ocean than in other coastal areas, and has already catalyzed numerous coastal open space projects around Boston Harbor. The roadmap is a collaborative effort between governmental organizations, non-profit organizations and design and financial firms. The document pushes for a focus on education in addition to changes to built infrastructure and revised zoning code changes. Critically, many of the neighborhoods identified by Climate Ready Boston as extremely vulnerable, including Roxbury, are underserved areas where adaptation measures must address considerations of equity.

2016 - ongoing
10 feet above sea level

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