Walsh's Plan To Protect Boston From Flooding, Climate Change

BOSTON — In an effort to protect Boston residents, homes, and jobs along Boston's Waterfront amid rising sea level and climate change, Mayor Marty Walsh announced a plan Wednesday morning.

"Resilient Boston Harbor," outlines strategies along Boston's 47-mile shoreline that aim to increase open space and access along the waterfront, while better protecting the city during a major flooding event, he said.

The announcement comes after massive flooding closed several streets along the Seaport and in other areas of Boston last winter. Record tides, heavy winds and fast-falling snow caused water to rush through the roads, trapping people in their cars and sending a dumpster floating down one Boston street, prompting a conversation about what Boston should do to protect itself.

"We're not just planning for the next storm we'll face, we're planning for the storms the next generation will face," said Walsh in a statement. "A resilient, climate-ready Boston Harbor presents an opportunity to protect Boston, connect Boston, and enhance Boston, now and for the future. As we enter a new era in our Harbor's history, Boston can show the world that resilience is not only the ability to survive adversity, but to emerge even stronger than before."

The plan builds off of Imagine Boston 2030 and uses the City's Climate Ready Boston 2070 flood maps and coastal resilience neighborhood studies to focus on Boston's most vulnerable flood pathways. The strategies laid out in the plan include elevated landscapes, enhanced waterfront parks, flood resilient buildings, and revitalized and increased connections and access to the waterfront. The strategies will require collaboration and funding between federal, state, private, philanthropic and nonprofit partners, according to the Mayor's office.

Sen. Edward Markey, President and CEO of Boston Harbor Now Kathy Abbott, Senior Adviser to the Boston Green Ribbon Commission Bud Ris, Executive Director of the Sustainable Solutions Lab at UMass Boston Rebecca Herst, District 3 City Councilor Frank Baker and State Representative Adrian Madaro all expressed support for the plan and for working with the city.

"We have an economic and moral imperative to act on climate change," said Markey who co-chair's the U.S. Senate's Climate Change Task Force. "This requires leaders at all levels of government and our business sector to work collectively to address the challenges facing our communities."

Highlights of the plan involve elevating several areas around East Boston and Charlestown, including transportation corridors like Bennington Street and the East Boston Greenway and the Ryan Playground.

In the North End and downtown the plan identifies elevating sections of the Harborwalk and a redesign of several parks.

In the South Boston and Fort Point area the plan calls for creating a resilient Moakley Park to protect homes and businesses in South Boston, the South End, Chinatown, and parts of Dorchester and Roxbury. To that end the City is applying for a $10 million FEMA mitigation grant to begin resilience work along the Fort Point Channel. Also on the list is completing the Emerald Necklace from Franklin Park to Moakley Park along Columbia Road to increase access to the waterfront. The mayor's office said $11 million will be allocated from sale of the Winthrop Square Garage for this project.

When it comes to the Dorchester waterfront the plan is to re-design Morrissey Boulevard to stop current and future flooding, and open up the waterfront. There's also a suggestion to complete the connection of the Neponset River Trail in Mattapan to the Harborwalk from Tenean Beach to Victory Park.

"Based on all of the analyses that have been done through Climate Ready Boston so far, this is exactly the kind of approach Boston should be taking," said Ris.

So where will the money for all that come from?

Walsh said that the City of Boston will commit 10 percent of all new capital funding to resilience projects. He called on Boston's state and federal government partners, as well as the private sector and non-profit and philanthropic stakeholders to help with funding.

The strategy outlined in the plan builds on the City of Boston's Resilience Strategy, which the mayor's office said is focused on ensuring every resident can reach their potential regardless of background, and removing the barriers of systemic racism that hinder Bostonians from having access to opportunities.

"Building a resilient city is a serious challenge in response to a sobering threat, but it also brings enormous opportunity to re-think our relationship to the Harbor and create a world-class waterfront," said Abbott.

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Previously:

• Boston Streets Flooded, Cars Trapped
• Storrow Drive Flooded, Closed Near Boston: State Police

Photo courtesy Boston Mayor's Office