You have an important opportunity right now to reinvent our waterfront and shape how Boston responds to the impacts of climate change. Read on to learn more about the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and City of Boston’s plan to reduce flooding, how you can shape the plan with your feedback and comments, and how Boston Harbor Now is responding!
The City of Boston is working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on a plan to reduce flooding along Boston’s coastline. The plan builds from the Climate Ready Boston work, looking at the entire waterfront from East Boston to Dorchester, and recommends projects to better protect neighborhoods, businesses, parks, roads, and other critical infrastructure from coastal storms and rising sea levels. The planning we do now will reshape our waterfront for the next generations!
We know Boston can accomplish big things. Forty years ago, nobody thought you could swim in Boston Harbor. The Harbor was cleaned because communities spoke up and took action. The Big Dig project reshaped our City for the better, leading to beloved open spaces like Spectacle Island and the Rose Kennedy Greenway.
Now, we find ourselves with another once-in-a-generation chance to reshape our Harborwalk and coastal spaces to improve public access while protecting this City from storms. The City and Army Corps plan could bring billions of dollars in federal funding to help build flood protection projects while creating better parks, public spaces, and a more welcoming waterfront.
In July, the U.S. Army Corps released a draft plan showing where different types of flood protection could be built, such as seawalls, landscaped berms, flood barriers, and raised waterfront paths.
The draft plan is not final, and your input can help shape it.
The public comment period is open through September 18. This is your chance to tell the City and the U.S. Army Corps what you value most about Boston’s waterfront, what places should be protected, and how these projects can improve public access and our connection to Boston Harbor while making our neighborhoods more resilient to flooding.
If you are interested in learning more about this Draft Report, and would like to see pictures of the proposed alignments by neighborhood, click this link to explore a story map made by the City of Boston and scroll down to see the ideas for Charlestown, Dorchester, Downtown, East Boston, South Boston. The City of Boston website for this project includes more information, and resources available in multiple languages. You can also read the entire Draft Report and Appendixes here.
Click the link below to submit your comments on the report to the U.S. Army Corps via Google Form, email, or mail!
SUBMIT YOUR FEEDBACK AND COMMENTS HERE
What is Boston Harbor Now’s response to the plan?
At Boston Harbor Now, we believe this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to protect Boston while creating a better waterfront for everyone. As the City and U.S. Army Corps move toward a final plan, here are five things we think are especially important—feel free to use these points to inform your own comments to the U.S. Army Corps!
- Boston needs a comprehensive plan that protects our entire coastline.
We cannot afford to do nothing. And when it comes to coastal flooding, protecting one part of the waterfront while leaving another vulnerable is not enough.
That is why we support moving forward with Action Plan 2, which takes a citywide approach to addressing Boston’s most pressing flood pathways. Flood protection projects need to work together across our coastline, from East Boston to Dorchester, to protect neighborhoods, businesses, parks, transportation, and other places we all depend on.
- We need a clear roadmap for turning this plan into reality.
Protecting Boston’s coastline will be a huge undertaking, and it will not happen overnight. Some of these projects could take decades to design, fund, and build.
The City and U.S. Army Corps should provide a clear roadmap showing what happens next, when different projects could move forward, and how the public can stay involved along the way.
People deserve to know what is being planned for the waterfronts they live near, work on, and visit, and when they will have opportunities to help shape those projects.
- Flood protection should do more than keep water out.
The best projects can protect us from storms while also making Boston a healthier, safer, and more welcoming place to live.
As different projects are considered, we want the U.S. Army Corps to look at the full range of benefits they could provide. That means considering how projects could support jobs and our regional economy; improve health, public safety, and community connections; protect businesses and public services; preserve historic and cultural resources; improve air and water quality; and restore natural habitats.
If we are making investments that will shape Boston for generations, we should make sure they deliver as many benefits as possible.
- A more resilient waterfront should also be a more accessible and natural waterfront.
Flood protection does not have to mean separating people from the Harbor. Done well, these projects can actually bring people closer to the water.
New and improved sections of the Harborwalk can include places to sit, gather, and enjoy the view while making the waterfront easier for everyone to access. Wherever possible, projects should also incorporate natural and nature-based features that provide strong flood protection while creating healthier habitats for native plants and wildlife as well as people..
Boston has the chance to build a waterfront that is safer, greener, and more welcoming at the same time.
- Our working waterfront and water transportation need to be part of the future.
Boston Harbor is not just a place to visit. It is also a place where people work and an increasingly important way for people to get around.
As we build new protections along the coastline, maritime businesses, port industries, ferry operators, and other waterfront users need a seat at the table. Projects should protect the working waterfront while leaving room for our water transportation system to grow, including more ferries and water taxis connecting communities across Boston and the region.
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