Greenovate

CLIMATE READY BOSTON EXPLORES SOLUTIONS FOR COASTAL RESILIENCE IN SOUTH BOSTON

By October 21, 2019 No Comments

Add your perspective to the City’s community survey to help us plan for a more resilient South Boston.

South Boston is expected to experience more coastal and stormwater flooding due to climate change. The City of Boston is exploring solutions to decrease these risks as part of our Climate Ready Boston initiative. You can add your on-the-ground perspective to this discussion about the neighborhood’s resiliency by taking our community survey.

In 2016, Climate Ready Boston released a comprehensive report of risks and protection strategies for a climate-impacted city like Boston. We are moving forward with the report’s recommendations to develop local climate resilient plans in the most vulnerable areas of Boston, including South Boston. (Learn more about our East Boston and Charlestown projects).

South Boston has experienced a rapid transformation in recent years due to increased investment and development, and has become a hub for recreation and culture. Some attractions there that you may be familiar with include the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, the Institute of Contemporary Art, and the Boston Children’s Museum.

In response to these rapid changes, the City has begun the planning process for several key projects focused on transportation and public space improvement, including the South Boston Waterfront Plan, the 100 Acres Master Plan process for the areas around the Procter & Gamble Gillette plant, and the Dorchester Avenue Corridor Plan.

 

South Boston also faces increased climate risks going forward. From now to 2050, nearly a quarter of South Boston’s land area will be exposed to a 1 percent annual chance of coastal flooding event, with some areas along the Fort Point Channel exposed to even higher probability events. Some streets and highways are also expected to be exposed to low-probability coastal flooding in the near-term, with those likelihoods going up as time goes on.

Protecting South Boston also protects the connected neighborhoods of South End, Roxbury, and Dorchester from future flooding risks. You can read more about neighborhood climate risk and resilience in the South Boston section of the Climate Ready Boston report here.

The City is committed to finding both short- and long-term solutions to coastal flooding and other impacts from sea level rise. We are currently studying the issue to explore potential ways to minimize or eliminate flooding challenges, with a focus on key floodwater entry points into the neighborhood.

As part of this process, we value input and perspectives from on-the-ground Bostonians like you who can provide us with smart insights into the workings of the neighborhood and the people who live, work, learn, and visit there.

Take our survey to add your voice to this critical discussion about how to prepare South Boston and the whole city for a more resilient future.