Threats to our country’s built environment posed by climate change and natural disasters – recently revealed by Hurricanes Florence and Michael – are a major concern as we move into a less predictable future. Chief among these worries is the rising risk of flooding along our coasts and the ongoing development pressure on these vulnerable areas.

While proactive planning has begun via Boston Mayor Marty Walsh’s Resilient Boston Harbor initiative, which aims to combat flooding using low-lying open space as a defense, a plan solely focused on public space is not enough. Owners and developers – especially of properties along the city’s waterfront – have a responsibility to also contribute to our resiliency network. Not to mention the fact that it’s in the best interest of protecting assets for the long run.

Locally, developers are learning from storms to formulate cost-effective strategies that protect developments and enhance waterfront access, all while benefiting from operational cost savings.

A notable example of smart development in Boston is The Eddy, a 267,500-square-foot, $104 million mixed-use development on 4 acres of previously underdeveloped waterfront property in East Boston, one of the most vulnerable neighborhoods in the city. Designed by Stantec, it features 259 apartments, commercial space, parking and public waterfront access via new parks.

Anticipating sea level rise, increased precipitation and heating days, and potential damage due to storm surge, the developer, Gerding Edlen, wanted to build a development that did more than just meet code.

Their vision was a building and site that could rebound within three days or less after disruption. For example, the newly enhanced open green space helps the project earn LEED points while increasing resilience. Native coastal plantings that thrive in saltwater and three-dimensional landscaping serve as a passive barrier to break apart storm surge and funnel water away from the building, protecting it during disruption and beautifying the site during normal operations.

Additional savings came from clever site manipulation and space planning. The Eddy features roof-mounted generators (along with a cogeneration plant that helps save $150,000 in annual energy costs) with sufficient fuel for four days of power. The design also places all electrical equipment in a protected space elevated above the 500-year floodplain.

Blake Jackson

Furthermore, the old sea wall was reconstructed to a higher datum point to avoid flooding, which was commonplace onsite during king tide. Entrances are reduced along the waterfront side of the building, with the main entry safely facing away from the coast onto an accessible public way. Wet floodproofing techniques allow level one to quickly resume normal operations after an event, which also reduces daily maintenance costs.

These strategies illustrate synergies between sustainability and resiliency for long-term operational and maintenance savings, a benefit for the developer and tenants.

The Eddy’s permitting was expedited due to its compelling resiliency/sustainability narrative; additionally, it was allowed increased density – the revenue from which further funded resiliency measures. Insurance premiums were reduced by the underwriter, because the body of proof of protection from multiple risks (flooding, wind and storm surge) decreased from $10 million to $1 million. The developer also sees resilient developments achieving top-of-market pricing (2 percent to 18 percent higher for studios and two-bed apartments), faster leasing, higher renewal (over 60 percent) and higher occupancy rates (95 percent). This is all a win-win for the developer, the community and the environment.

Resiliency is a Celebration of Place

These strategies do not reflect a radical departure from code-compliant construction. Yet they promote place-based design that creates a harmony between the historic relationship of human development to waterfront sites through a marriage of “soft” and “hard” infrastructure –landscaping and buildings designed to coexist during normal operations and disruption.

Climate studies warning of the impending irreversible impacts to our environment (and, frankly, our daily lives) should serve as a wake-up call for the need for greater urban resilience. Developments like The Eddy are blazing pathways toward a future where climate uncertainty won’t be detrimental to the hope of urban vitality within cities.

Blake Jackson is sustainability design leader at Stantec.