The agreement will help improve access to recreational opportunities along Boston’s waterfront while also protecting the city against extreme weather and climate change.
Boston Harbor Now has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the City of Boston formalizing its role as a nonprofit steward of the 43-mile Harborwalk and harbor-wide advocacy organization.
“Boston Harbor Now has played a critical role in preserving, promoting and enhancing Boston’s harbor and harborwalk’’ said Brian Swett, Boston’s Chief Climate Officer. “We look forward to partnering with Boston Harbor Now not only to make our waterfront more accessible and enjoyable for our community, but also to protect our city from the impacts of climate change and rising sea levels.”
As Boston Harbor Now approaches its 10th anniversary next year, the MOU puts an official structure around crucial work that the organization has prioritized for years, and commits Boston Harbor Now and the organization’s new Senior Harborwalk Manager to several new specific responsibilities, including:
- Assessing conditions and accessibility along the length of the 43-mile Boston Harborwalk and reporting issues requiring attention to City officials for action;
- Creating a master list of all 360-plus Harborwalk properties, and their owners and managers, that are impacted by sea level rise, storm surge, and coastal flooding, and advise on resilience projects;
- Creating voluntary design standards for the Harborwalk that incorporate resiliency as a key value, including further refining the Harborwalk 2.0 design guide;
- Updating and maintaining the Harborwalk Webtool that helps people find public amenities, some of which are required under the state Public Waterfront Act, including Facilities of Public Accommodation, restrooms, community meeting rooms, water taxi docks, free Wi-Fi, and other public benefits secured by the Commonwealth; and
- Supporting and promoting the City’s celebration of the 250th Anniversary of the nation’s founding;
Boston Harbor Now President and CEO Kathy Abbott said, “This MOU reflects Boston Harbor Now’s core commitments to improve access to Boston Harbor while protecting neighborhoods from flooding. Our goal is to ensure our City has one of the world’s most attractive, welcoming, vibrant, and resilient waterfronts. Formalizing our relationship with the City gives us both the opportunity to build on and improve the promises of Chapter 91 access improvements while improving resilience.”
In the MOU, Boston Harbor Now also commits to further expanding its collaboration with partners, including the Green Ribbon Commission and Stone Living Lab, in support of identifying opportunities for nature-based and hybrid approaches to climate resilience and potential public and private funding sources to implement the City’s “Climate Ready Boston” plans.
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