Do You Think Canals Would Benefit Back Bay?

The possibility of constructing canals in the Back Bay neighborhood is being exercised.

The Urban Land Institute of Boston and New England recently released a report entitled “The Urban Implications of Living With Water.” The proposal aims to help Back Bay withstand water levels that are estimated to rise as much as 7 feet by 2100.

The Boston Globe said the suggested changes would allow the neighborhood to absorb the rising sea with clever engineering projects that double as public amenities. Roads and public alleys, such as Clarendon Street, could be turned into narrow waterways.

Other ideas highlighted in the report are: the addition of breakwaters in the harbor, creating wetlands that would act as sponges during periods of high water and the raising of the Harborwalk in the Innovation District, to ring the waterfront and act as a stronger barrier for nearby buildings.

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How else should Back Bay practice flood control? Leave a comment below.