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Massachusetts Coastal Resilience Grant Program
2014
The Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) administers the Coastal Resilience Grant Program through its StormSmart Coasts Program which provides financial and technical resources to advance local efforts to increase natural storm damage protection, flood control, and coastal community resilience. Eligible projects can be in the areas of: vulnerability and risk assessment; public education and communication; local bylaws, adaptation plans, and other management measures; redesigns and retrofits; and natural storm-damage protection/green infrastructure.
Resource Category: Funding
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Massachusetts Green Bonds
2014
In 2014, the state of Massachusetts issued $350 million in “green bonds” to fund water infrastructure projects, including stream bed restoration, open-space protection, and stormwater management. The difference between green and traditional bonds, is that the the proceeds form the sale of green bonds are used for projects that are beneficial to the environment. Investors who buy green bonds are paid interest and principal from the same revenues as other municipal bonds.
Resource Category: Funding
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Boston Redevelopment Authority Climate Change Preparedness and Resiliency Guidelines, Checklist
November 2013, updated October 2017
In November 2013, the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) adopted new guidelines to address climate change impacts on development projects. The Climate Change Preparedness and Resiliency Guidelines are an addition to Article 80 of the Boston Zoning Code requiring a checklist to be completed and approved before the BRA authorizes Final Design Approval and/or Article 80 documents. Article 80 applies to "large projects" (affecting greater than 50,000 square feet) and areas subject to planned development review requirements.
Resource Category: Law and Governance
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Climate Ready Boston: Municipal Vulnerability to Climate Change (2013)
October 29, 2013
Boston, Massachusetts' Mayor Thomas M. Menino administration’s report 'Climate Ready Boston: Municipal Vulnerability to Climate Change' identifies ways in which the City has and will prepare for the impacts of climate change on municipal operations. The report presents the assessments and key findings of Boston's Climate Preparedness Task Force. Short- and long-term vulnerabilities were examined for the City's sectors: Facilities and Capital Planning, Transportation and Water Infrastructure, Neighborhoods, and Public Health and Heat.
Resource Category: Assessments
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Boston Architectural College Green Alley Initiative
October 2013
The Boston Architectural College (BAC) installed a green alley demonstration project on its campus located in the Back Bay area of Boston along the Charles River. The green alley used permeable pavement to allow stormwater to percolate through the road bed to recharge groundwater and filter pollutants. The project was designed to be replicable and to help with public education on the benefits and design of green infrastructure. The purpose of the green alley is to reduce polluted runoff by filtering and redirecting rainfall to the groundwater table.
Resource Category: Solutions
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Cost-Efficient Adaptation in the North Atlantic
October 2013
This report summarizes the work of two NOAA-funded graduate fellows research on community-level coastal flood management and climate change adaptation best practices throughout the North Atlantic region (Virginia to Maine). This year-long Sea Grant partnership with NOAA’s North Atlantic Regional Team (NART) has identified low-cost, innovative ways that coastal communities are addressing climate change and related coastal hazard management best practices at the local level. The team looked at studies, laws, policies, outreach tools, and infrastructure investments that were voluntarily adopted by 34 local municipalities, and developed a report to share this information more broadly.
Authors or Affiliated Users: Judd Schechtman, Michael Brady
Resource Category: Solutions
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Building Resilience in Boston: Best Practices for Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience for Existing Buildings
August 7, 2013
This report was prepared for the Boston Society of Architects and the Boston Green Ribbon Commission Climate Preparedness Working Group, and discusses how to better incorporate climate change, preparedness, and resiliency into Boston’s building practices. The report addresses Boston’s population and built environment and, specifically, their vulnerabilities such as variations in the age and construction of the city’s building stock and the populous communities built on infill land and in other low-lying areas.
Resource Category: Solutions
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Cape Cod Parking Lot Removal and Relocation
Several Cape Cod towns and the Cape Cod Commission have taken specific measures to adapt beach parking lots to the impacts of climate change, including extreme storms and sea-level rise that are causing increased beach erosion. These coastal communities are rethinking “quick fix” repairs to vulnerable parking infrastructure and are instead implementing a variety of soft and hard measures as more permanent solutions to long-term climate change impacts. Many of the town activities were captured in the adaptation blog “Great American Adaptation Road Trip” by Allie Goldstein and Kirsten Howard, graduates of the University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources and Environment.
Resource Category: Solutions
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Sustainable Franklin County, Massachusetts
June 2013
Sustainable Franklin County is a comprehensive, regional sustainable development plan for rural Franklin County, Massachusetts. The plan provides recommendations and strategies for local governments, businesses, organizations, and individuals to build long-term sustainability and climate change resiliency throughout the county. The report is focused on Housing, Transportation, Economic Development, Energy, Natural Resources, Cultural Resources, and Land Use and Infrastructure sectors, and integrates social equity and climate change adaptation strategies.
Authors or Affiliated Users: Peggy Sloan, Jessica Atwood, Ryan Clary, Alyssa Larose, Stacy Metzger, Mary Praus, Megan Rhodes
Resource Category: Planning
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Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) Regulations
May 10, 2013
The Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) Regulations, 310 CMR 11.00 et seq., were last revised as of May 10, 2013, and now contain language that requires all state agencies to prepare for climate change impacts, in addition to limiting greenhouse gas emissions.
Resource Category: Law and Governance
