ClimateCARE Resiliency Work Plan
This proposal, which was funded in 2016, maps out the Neighborhood of Affordable Housing, Inc. (NOAH)’s Climate: Community Action for Resilience through Engagement (ClimateCARE) program in East Boston. ClimateCARE seeks to a) strengthen community engagement, b) partner with the City of Boston to advance its Climate Action Plan, and c) convene agency stakeholders in an Adaptation Planning Working Group which will facilitate coordinated, actionable climate resilience plans. In addition to detailing these initiatives, the report describes the climate-related risks in East Boston and their workplan for 2016-2018.
The report describes East Boston as a diverse, multi-lingual, and largely lower-income immigrant community. Among the top most environmentally-burdened communities in the state, East Boston confronts historical pollution from local industry, stormwater runoff issues, and vulnerability to storm-surge related flooding and release of contaminants. NOAH has found significant community knowledge deficits, with fewer than 10% of residents surveyed indicating awareness of climate change or sea-level rise concerns.
The proposed Adaptation Planning Working Group, is intended to encourage coordination, community input, information-sharing, and consideration of equity prior to capital planning. This multidisciplinary, interagency planning, steering and advocacy group will feature collaborative planning so as to increase the consistency of the action plans in East Boston, and ensure that community priorities are reflected in the plans. A matrix outlines the goals for government agencies that are anticipated to form the Working Group (p. 9).
The proposal also includes a matrix of goals demonstrating how ClimateCARE can help implement Boston’s Climate Action Plan in partnership with the city, targeting community engagement, greenhouse gas reduction, and climate preparedness (p. 8). For Example, NOAH can help the city meet their goal “to improve neighborhood engagement” through their door-to-door canvassing that has proven effective in reaching their community. They can also provide materials and live translation in Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Arabic, and Vietnamese.
Action items in the workplan include:
- Exploring improvements to evacuation, sheltering, and communications planning
- Designing and piloting an effort to canvass the neighborhood to educate residents on climate risks and preparedness actions.
- Formalizing their role in the Imagine Boston 2030 Master Planning Process
- Developing scenarios of present and future climate threats
- Creating a draft flood control plan
Prior to this publication, NOAH convened government stakeholders and developed its Supported Community Planning Process to educate and engage East Boston residents. This model recognizes the need for trusted sources of information in a multi-lingual, culturally-sensitive setting, with basic supports such as childcare to enable resident participation. NOAH continues to identify and promote practical actions that individuals and households can take on their own to reduce suffering from potential climate change related impacts.
Publication Date: September 28, 2016
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