Water, Water Everywhere
Climate Change And Infrastructure: Riding The Rising Tide With Resiliency
Considered Planning Is Important, But So Is Action
By William F. Lyons Jr.
Climate change is driving how we plan for the future of Boston’s infrastructure. Just as importantly, the climate change conversation is forcing us to consider how we will adapt our existing infrastructure to account for the long-term effects of climate change. As Boston and our society at large confront the realities of climate change, two new terms have entered the lexicon of the city’s planners and engineers – “sea level rise” and “resiliency.”
Boston is a city built largely on filled tidelands. This facet of Boston’s history and its development has been a strength of the city as it has evolved over the centuries. For instance, one can hardly deny the beauty and charm of the Back Bay, which would not exist but for the filling of the water body that bears the name of this neighborhood. However, this neighborhood and others are now threatened by the sea, which will reclaim these areas if we are unable to adapt our city and its infrastructure to the inevitable effects of sea level rise brought on by global climate change.
Fortunately for Boston, some great minds started thinking about this problem almost a decade ago. The city has been officially considering the effects of climate change since 2007. In the past three years, the issues of sea level rise and infrastructure resiliency have entered mainstream discussions regarding land use, development, and infrastructure. Government agencies including the city of Boston, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, the Massachusetts Port Authority and the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority have been actively studying the likely effects of sea level rise. They have been joined by civic groups such as the Urban Land Institute, A Better City, the Barr Foundation and the Boston Harbor Association, who have used their credibility and expertise to elevate these issues to the forefront of the public’s consciousness.
Planning Ahead
So what does all of this doomsday talk about climate change and sea level rise really mean? According to the city of Boston, the year 2012 was the warmest year on record in the United States, by one full degree. This climate change trend results in projections of substantial sea level rise, posing significant problems for coastal cities like Boston.
Research published by the Boston Harbor Association indicates that in 2050, the 100-year flood could be 7.5 feet higher than it is today. By 2100, 7.5 feet of additional sea level could be our regular high tide. In this scenario, large swaths of Boston (such as South Boston) would be underwater at every high tide if no changes are made.
Looking at the effects of Superstorm Sandy on New York City, MassDOT, MassPort and the MWRA are each evaluating the potential impact of sea level rise and the increasing intensity of coastal storms on their facilities and infrastructure. MassDOT, in particular, was awarded a grant by the Federal Highway Administration to model the potential impacts of flooding on the Central Artery, the Ted Williams Tunnel, the Sumner and Callahan Tunnels, the MBTA’s Aquarium Station, and the Red and Silver Lines in South Boston. Their goal is to mitigate the impacts of recurring flooding on our city’s transportation infrastructure.
Accounting For The Inevitable
Much of the discussion to date has focused on what steps we need to take to fortify the city against the coming tides. Some have suggested a dike in Boston harbor to hold back the sea. Others have suggested that the sea walls around the city be raised to prevent flooding, while simultaneously building recreational opportunities into the raised sea wall – resulting in a super Harborwalk. Some of the ideas that have been floated have technical merit, but are not inexpensive and will require substantial political and social courage to implement.
Others have argued that our infrastructure should be re-envisioned to accommodate the advancing sea. In a charrette held by the Urban Land Institute, participants suggested turning Back Bay streets into canals, Venice-style. The myriad of ideas on how to deal with sea level rise have resulted in the new vocabulary of resiliency. The foundation of all climate adaptation has focused on how we make our city more resilient to the inevitable effects of climate change and sea level rise.
Our city is just now coming to terms with the impending effects of a changing planet. As we continue to study and model the effects of sea level rise, we would be wise to act quickly to adapt our land uses and infrastructure to account for the inevitable. Moving on two tracks – how to plan what has not yet been built and how to adapt what has been built – is the only logical strategy. To do otherwise risks the wrath of a very fickle Mother Earth.