Resiliency. Adaptability. The “New Normal.” The modern real estate community is alive with buzzwords. As more extreme weather and rising tides begin to impact our daily lives and built environments, it has come time to ask: What does a more resilient Boston actually look like?
In August 2013, the World Bank commissioned a report, “Future Flood Losses in Major Coastal Cities,” to evaluate 136 of the largest coastal cities in the world. This study predicted that global flood losses could exceed more than $1 trillion per year by 2050 if these cities did not move towards adaptation and flood protection. Of the 136 cities studied, Boston was ranked as the eighth most vulnerable in terms of overall cost of damage, a list which included in the top 10 Miami, New York City, New Orleans and Tampa-St. Petersburg.
Over the past decade, we have witnessed firsthand the results of such vulnerabilities in the aftermaths of Hurricanes Sandy and Katrina. Here in Boston, Sandy was a near miss. Wide-spread flooding and property damage was avoided by a mere five hours – the time between high tide and the most powerful portions of the storm. As global tides continue to rise, such windows will become smaller, and as the climate continues to warm, such storms will be become more powerful. Clearly, an integrated plan is needed to reduce our future exposure, even as the risk profile for the city continues to change.
Recognizing this need, the city of Boston, Mayor Martin Walsh and Gov. Deval Patrick have taken leadership roles to drive responsible development along our threatened areas and waterfronts. Brian Swett and the Office of Environment, Energy and Open Space – in concert with other city departments – are pursuing ways to increase resilient development, including modifications to the BRA’s Article 80 process, and the pursuit of a local ordinance for vulnerable property. Though certain portions of Boston’s development and property management sectors have begun to follow suit, it is difficult to envision such a complex issue achieving full resolution without full participation of all sectors.
Adapting Traditional Design
This past May, with funding from The Kresge Foundation, the Boston District Council of the Urban Land Institute held a day-long charrette, “Living with Water: The Urban Implications,” in an effort to drive the conversation towards new, adaptable and resilient design strategies and methods of thinking about our built environment.
The charrette convened more than 70 professionals from the local real estate community, including developers, financiers, engineers, architects, public policy drivers, property insurance specialists and sea level rise experts. Together, they immersed themselves in the challenges of four Boston-area locations: the Innovation District of South Boston; Back Bay; Cambridge’s Alewife neighborhood; and Revere Beach. The challenge was to create new paradigms for responsible development that consider the bigger questions surrounding sea level rise.
The focus was not necessarily on emergency preparedness, but rather how designers and developers should adapt to sea level projections. What happens to Boston and its neighbors when high tides reach 2.5 feet, 4 feet, or even 7.5 feet higher than they are today? How does our infrastructure change? Can buildings continue to exist as they currently are? Though these higher-end projections are not expected for some time, it is important to understand today’s implications, especially since rising seas may occur within the lifecycles of new and existing buildings.
In October, ULI Boston’s Sustainability Council and Sea-Level Rise Committee will host an event following the release of the final “Urban Implications” report in September. There, participants will have a chance to present their resiliency strategies and answer questions from the development community.
This report should be a call to action. It will show the importance of development and infrastructure planning across each of the studied locations and the reality that the built environment and its financing vehicles are undivorcable. Resiliency planning must consider the linkages between the past, present and future of these concepts. If one thing is certain, it is that the sooner we begin the process of integrating resiliency into financial models, development planning, and infrastructure policy, the more effective it will be.
Shawn P. Smith, PE, LEED AP BD+C, is a senior engineer specializing in sustainable urban development at Nitsch Engineering in Boston. He is a founding member of ULI Boston’s Sustainability Council and Sea Level Rise committees.
