Boston Climate Action Plan

Analyze and update building codes and ordinances to make buildings safer from wind and flooding, more energy and water efficient, more tolerant of heat waves and healthier to live in. Designate adaptation action areas, restoration areas and growth areas as a priority-setting tool for vulnerable areas. Designating these areas can guide people and commerce to less vulnerable places in Seek additional staff capacity in future budget cycles to prevent and manage climate impacts. Hire a Chief Resilience Officer to coordinate resilience efforts. Utilize federal and state funding sources and TDA programs to acquire Property or development rights in high risk areas to retain these areas as undeveloped buffers Hold events where residents can interact with local experts and develop an emergency preparedness kit to take home. Develop and track indicators of climate change impacts and successes of adaptation actions. Conduct a vulnerability assessment for the jurisdiction. Include the identification of at-risk assets, including neighborhoods, infrastructure and natural resources. Develop resilience hubs in high risk neighborhoods that can be managed by community members and retrofitted to stay online during any emergency event. The hub should also be able to support emergency Develop a community-wide communications and outreach program on how to prepare and recover from climate hazards. The program may focus on a target population or a target hazard, or may be more broad. Integrate findings from climate vulnerability study into all phases of emergency planning. Complete a comprehensive climate adaptation strategy. Update Emergency Management Hazard Mitigation Plans in the County to include climate predictions of increased extreme weather events and flooding. Guide all levels of government to address climate change impacts in relevant policies, programs and legislation. Develop a notification system for natural hazards that is responsive to community needs. Increase staff capacity to manage and track grants. Use overlay zones in your land use regulations to encourage or require safer development in the areas most at risk from climate change impacts. Coordinate with neighboring jurisdictions on development activities and land use planning on a watershed level. Integrate resilience principles into the local government's capital planning efforts. Develop cross boundary watershed solutions. Grow partnerships between the public, private and nonprofit sectors to provide critical services to vulnerable populations in times of crisis. Reach out to your state representatives to seek support for priority projects in advance of the budget cycle. Advocate for statewide oversight and coordination of regional adaptation initiatives. This coordination should include all aspects of disaster preparedness and recovery across state agencies, specifically Collaborate on a watershed basis. Connect community organizations with experts and resources to guide and efficiently support the development of neighborhood resilience hubs. Encourage community members to establish resilience hub locations Investigate best practices and strategies in comparable communities that may be useful in your jurisdiction. Update plans and guidance as new climate projections and analysis becomes available. Connect community organizations with experts and resources to guide and efficiently support the development of neighborhood resilience hubs. Use vulnerability and risk assessment analyses and tools to identify priorities for resilience investments. Foster innovation, development and exchange of ideas for addressing climate impacts. Ensure land use maps include local assets and identify areas that are projected to be vulnerable to sea level rise and wildfire hazards. Towns, cities and counties can collaborate to identify incentives Use vulnerability and risk assessment analyses and tools to identify priorities for resilience investments. Create and pursue new and emerging revenue sources, both public and private. After completing a plan, revisit and revise the goals and strategies every 2 years based on implementation results and new information. Develop and implement localized adaptation strategies for areas of greatest climate-related vulnerability. Include vulnerability analyses in emergency management planning activities. Integrate climate vulnerability analysis data, as well as climate adaptation planning and funding, into existing emergency planning Train staff on Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) and incentivize its implementation in new design and development. Implement shoreline protection, natural or otherwise, to protect public infrastructure and manage erosion. Create a City Hazard Mitigation Plan that can be included in a County Plan. Develop partnerships with neighborhood groups, homeowner associations and others to conduct resilience-related outreach activities. Use scenario-based community workshops to gain key insights on community needs and priority project areas. Evaluate proposed construction projects that support climate adaptation. Use a common set of design engineering parameters. Work with emergency managers across jurisdictions to understand and address information from a climate vulnerability assessment. Annually align City operational priorities to reflect the current assessment of Flooding and SLR impacts. Offer GIS hazard mapping tools online to educate residents about risks. Work with local officials in advance of the budget cycle to advocate for funding for priority projects and staff capacity that focuses exclusively (or When the local government buys new assets, require staff to consider how the purchase could address or hinder resilience. Update departmental policies to better incorporate consideration of climate impacts into decision making. Use integrated watershed management to reduce flood and drought risks. Integrated watershed management is a planning strategy meant to coordinate development to maximize the social, economic and environmental Integrate climate change adaptation considerations into Multiple Assets - All Assets plan Safety Elements, Local Hazard Mitigation Plans, emergency operations plans, and other public safety documents Create a suite of incentives so that nonprofits, developers, and homebuyers can rehabilitate and reuse vacant properties Publish a guide on steps that property owners can take to make their existing buildings more resilient. Draft a community-level emergency response plan if one doesn't exist. Coordinate with local homeless services to ensure that emergency shelters are available during extreme heat events, poor air quality, severe weather events and other highly hazardous conditions. Beyond strengthening existing systems, increase system redundancy to protect critical infrastructure from power outages. Educate community members about the climate risks to historic, cultural and tribal cultural resources. Include information on the reasons to safeguard these resources. Seek federal and state engagement to develop a resilience strategy.