"The Urban Implications of Living with Water" ~ A Provocative Report for Rhode Island

Rhode Islanders, especially planners and elected officials, will want to take a look at what is going on in Boston. The Urban Planning Institute recently conducted a charrette (May 8, 2014) and published a significant 52-page report (October 1), "The Urban Implications of Living with Water," which "focuses on the visible threats of climate change in Boston – specifically, sea level rise and its ancillary issues." How can Boston developers, land owners, businesses, etc., protect their built environment, and what can they do, starting now, to adjust to projected sea-level rise?

Much of Boston is built on filled-in marshlands (and Providence is also built on former marshes as well, we should note.) Flooding, if not permanent submersion, is extremely likely throughout Boston. Among the ideas for coping with climate change is building canals, making Boston more like Amsterdam.

The report is meant to stimulate constructive conversation, rather than be merely a dire prediction. We can see the trend toward higher sea levels, which, compounded by extreme weather events such as a direct hurricane hit to Narragansett Bay at the highest tide of the year, could innundate downtown Providence again. It would be a good idea for Rhode Islanders to read this report and join the discussion.

"The images and drawings included in this report are meant to provoke conversations among various stakeholders, continue the ongoing regional discussion, and become the jumping-off point for potential urban solutions. They should be used to spark discussions, identify risks and opportunities, and assist with understanding the issues and threats created by sea level rise on individual sites."

This report is getting national and international attention. Here are more links to information about this report:

• Living with Water: The Urban Implications, ArrowstreetLive, May 5, 2014
• Planning for Rising Seas with a Focus on Resiliency, ArrowstreetLive, September 30, 2014
• Boston Globe article, September 30, 2014
• Boston Curbed, September 30, 2014
• Fox News Boston, September 30, 2014
• Living with Water - Interview with Amy Korté on NECN, October 1, 2014
• E&E News, October 4, 2014
• Fast Company, October 6, 2014
• The Boston Harbor Association, October 6, 2014
• BBC News Magazine article, October 26, 2014
• Living with Water" Design Charette at ABX - ArrowstreetLive, October 30, 2014

 Also see today's announcement, Boston Mayor Launches Regional Climate Change Effort

For additional updates after this post is published check ArrowstreetLive.

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