Flood Risk and Protective Measures Plan in East Boston

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At present, the impact of climate change is growing. With the increasing cases of forest fires, melting glaciers, and rising sea levels, people are gradually aware of the damage caused by climate change. For Boston, floods are considered to be the most direct and most devastating disaster caused by climate change. Both O’Neill (2019) and Morton (2019) stated that at the end of this century, floods caused by climate change could cause severe damage to Boston. In particular, O’Neill pointed out that the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) research has shown that by the end of this century, “1.6 million square feet of open space across Boston’s neighborhoods will be at risk of flooding” (O’Neill, 2019). Therefore, it is essential to predict in advance the possible damage from floods and prevent it, which raises the question: What are the current predictions of the impact of the flood, and what is Boston’s protection plan? In this essay, I will focus on the economic and community losses that East Boston suffered from the floods and explaining how East Boston could improve its infrastructure in the near future to avoid damage from floods.

Economic Impacts of Floods

The East Boston neighborhood is at a higher risk of flooding than other neighborhoods in Boston. In a 2016 report, Climate Ready Boston (2016), the City of Boston stated that East Boston would be the neighborhood affected by floods and rising sea levels mostly. Similar statements have appeared in other reports. According to Cheng (n.d.), by 2050, East Boston could suffer economic losses of $ 835 million from coastal flooding. For comparison, the total economic impact of coastal flooding throughout Boston in 2005 was approximately $ 237 million (Morton, 2019). Cheng (n.d.) also pointed out that Eagle Hill, Jeffries Point and Orient Heights in East Boston would suffer tremendous losses due to flooding, which were $ 368 million, $ 371 million, and $ 96 million, respectively. In summary, the City of Boston, Cheng, and Morton all pointed out the dangers of flooding to East Boston, and it can be seen from these numbers that if there is no flood prevention, East Boston will suffer enormous losses. The flood shrouded the future of East Boston in darkness. Therefore, East Boston should make every effort to build flood prevention facilities to reduce the damage caused by flooding.

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Community Impacts of Floods

Not only the economy but the communities in East Boston will also be significantly impacted. City of Boston (2017) divided the flood into three periods in the report Coastal Resilience Solutions for East Boston and Charlestown: 2000, 2030, and 2070. The report predicts that sea levels in Boston will rise by at least 9 inches by 2030—and sea levels are expected to rise by 27 inches and 36 inches in 2050 and 2070, respectively (City of Boston, 2017, 2019). Unlike floods, sea-level rise is permanent. Therefore, although a rise of 9 inches might not seem important, it will significantly increase the chance of floods, as Morton (2019) explained in the article: ‘When storms hit at high tide, the combination of storm surge and high tide is a storm tide.’ At the same time, the report Coastal Resilience Solutions for East Boston and Charlestown, The USA (2018) also pointed out that although the sea level rose by only 9 inches in 2030, the probability of a 100-year coastal flood in East Boston will increase 4 to 5 times. In addition, due to rising sea levels in 2070, East Boston’s once-in-a-century flood in 2000 may turn into a once-a-month event in 2070 (Coastal Resilience Solutions for East Boston and Charlestown, The USA, 2018).

Without flood protection, repeated floods can cause enormous harm to the East Boston community. For East Boston residents, the most immediate impact is that floods may flood some residents’ homes. Douglas et al. (2013) stated in the report that, after 2050, if East Boston encounters a 100-year coastal flood, 141.8 million square feet is predicted to be submerged, and most importantly, this will occupy 82.4% of the neighborhood area. A large number of residential houses will be affected, and many houses will face problems such as overly humid and seawater intrusion. The first floor of some houses may even be entirely submerged by seawater. This will have a significant impact on the safety, appearance, and work or study of East Boston residents. At the same time, floods will also bring irreparable damage to historical landmarks, as the seawater will corroded buildings.

Floods can also cause massive damage to public transportation in East Boston. According to the City of Boston (2016), both the Blue line and Sliver line would be blocked by the flood. Since Boston Logan Airport is in East Boston, the block of public transportation lines would also become a resist for people from going to or leaving the airport. If East Boston does not come up with a reasonable flood prevention plan in time and implement it, not only the East Boston community, but the entire Boston traffic, and also its connection to other cities will be seriously damaged by the flood.

East Boston’s Flood Protection Plan

Since the flood has a huge potential threat to the economy and communities of East Boston, in order to adapt East Boston to climate change, the Boston government has developed a flood prevention plan, calling it ‘Coastal Resilience Solutions for East Boston and Charlestown (City of Boston, 2017).’ The project design team communicated with the residents of the East Boston neighborhood and conducted field inspections to formulate the flood prevention plan, and it is mainly dividing into two parts: near-term actions and long-term actions (City of Boston, 2017). This essay will focus on the near-term actions section within 2030 to find out the flood protection plan for the near future.

Greenway Flood Wall

Greenway Flood Wall is the first step in Boston’s flood prevention program. The primary purpose of this action is to set up a detachable flood wall at Greenway under Sumner Street. As early as 2017, the Mayor of Boston Martin J. Walsh announced this plan: The Greenway Flood Wall is expected to cost $ 100,000 and can effectively resist the impact of the 1% annual flood in East Boston in 2030 (United States: City to take immediate steps to protect East Boston, Charlestown from climate change, 2017). Furthermore, the City of Boston (2017) predicts that Greenway Flood Wall can effectively protect more than “4,200 residents, at least 70 businesses, transportation tunnels, and critical service providers.” The advantage of installing a detachable flood wall is that it allows simple and efficient flood protection. When there is no flood, the Greenway Flood Wall will be stowed to avoid the impact on traffic. Also, when the flood comes, the Greenway Flood Wall can be quickly established to prevent seawater get into East Boston.

Greenway Entrance and Piers Park II

The second step of the plan is to increase the altitude of the Piers Park area in East Boston. According to the City of Boston (2017), the current plan is to raise Piers Park II as a whole by 5 to 10 feet. Piers Park area is predicted to be one of the main flood entry points, so increasing the altitude of Piers Park II can effectively reduce the risk of flooding in East Boston as it will form a protective wall to block the seawater from getting in. In addition, the design team also surveyed residents of the East Boston community. In the Greenway Entrance and Piers Part II action, Piers Park will still maintain complete entertainment while increasing the altitude, which including but not limited to waterfront landscapes, greenery, social spaces, and squares (City of Boston, 2017). By considering both flood protection and the needs of community residents, this action makes more East Boston residents support the East Boston Coastal Flood Resiliency Solution.

Clippership-Hodge Bern

The Clippership-Hodge Bern action is similar to the Greenway Entrance, and Piers Park II action as both of the actions are elevating the altitude of the relevant area. However, the Clippership-Hodge Bern action combines the use of detachable flood walls in order to form a more effective protection against floods (City of Boston, 2017). The project is currently expected to cost between $ 650,000 and $ 1.05 million and is expected to be completed in 2025 (City of Boston, 2017). Compared to the economic losses in East Boston without any flood protection measures, the cost of this action is acceptable. Also, this program effectively protects the MBTA T service and also its connection to the Logan Airport, thus protecting both the Boston residents’ transportation and the connection between the world and Boston from the effects of potential floods.

Border Street Priority

The Border Street Priority action includes the build and elevation of a lot of infrastructures, such as parks, harbors, and waterfront walks. The newly constructed harbor walk will extend more towards the sea, and sufficient elevation will be reserved during the construction (Coastal Resilience Solutions for East Boston and Charlestown, The USA, 2018). The whole action will give East Boston residents more waterfront space, allowing them to walk or play at the coast, and thereby forming a more harmonious community environment. In addition, this action may develop into a long-term action so it can withstand the flooding in East Boston in 2070 (City of Boston, 2017). Coastal Resilience Solutions for East Boston and Charlestown noted that the Border Street Priority action is expected to protect more than 10,000 residents and at least 250 businesses (City of Boston, 2017). The economic benefits of this action would easily outweigh the cost: City of Boston (2017) predicts that the net benefits of action will be between $ 442 and $ 522 million. In conclusion, given the benefits this project will bring to the economy and communities of East Boston, The Border Street Priority action will also receive substantial support.

Conclusion

As this essay demonstrates, the floods caused by climate change pose a tremendous potential threat to the economy and communities in East Boston. However, the Boston government recognized the potential impact of climate change in advance and made plans in a timely manner. The Coastal Resilience Solutions for East Boston and Charlestown developed by the Boston Government has adopted effective plans in the form of the combination between community residents’ needs and actual flood forecasts through four major near-term actions and long-term actions. All four near-term actions, including Greenway Flood Wall, Greenway Entrance and Piers Park II, Clippership-Hodge Bern, and Border Street Priority, provide sufficient guarantee for the safety, transportation, and economy of East Boston residents, which successfully increased the support rate of this plan. Currently, some of the near-term actions, such as the Greenway Flood Wall, have been completed, while other actions are still under construction. Over time, Boston residents will gradually discover the benefits of Coastal Resilience Solutions to East Boston. Also, by continually improving its infrastructure, adapting itself to the environment, Boston will have a bright future.

References

  1. Cheng, Y.-C. (n.d.). Sea level is rising, what effect might flooding have on East Boston by 2050? Retrieved from https://web.northeastern.edu/visualizingeastie/what-effect-might-flooding-have-on-east-boston-by-2050/
  2. City of Boston (2016). Climate Ready Boston Final Report. Retrieved from https://www.boston.gov/sites/default/files/embed/2/20161207_climate_ready_boston_digital2.pdf
  3. City of Boston (2017). Coastal Resilience Solutions for East Boston and Charlestown. Retrieved from https://www.boston.gov/sites/default/files/embed/c/climatereadyeastbostoncharlestown_finalreport_web.pdf
  4. City of Boston (2019). Imagine Boston 2030. Retrieved from https://www.boston.gov/sites/default/files/embed/file/2018-06/imagine20boston202030_pages2.pdf
  5. COASTAL RESILIENCE SOLUTIONS FOR EAST BOSTON AND CHARLESTOWN, THE USA. (2018). Landscape Architecture Frontiers, 6(4), 76+. Retrieved from https://link-gale-com.ezproxy.neu.edu/apps/doc/A568370897/AONE?u=mlin_b_northest&sid=AONE&xid=e8dc731c
  6. Douglas, E., Kirshen, P., Li, V., Watson, C., & Wormser, J. (2013). Preparing for the Rising Tide. Boston, MA: The Boston Harbor Association.
  7. Morton, M. C. (2019, August 19). Boston is taking action to adapt to sea level rise. Retrieved February 6, 2020, from https://www.sciencenews.org/article/boston-adapting-rising-sea-level-coastal-flooding
  8. O’Neill, J. (2019, February 27). CLF Releases Study of Flooding in Boston’s Waterfront Open Spaces. Retrieved February 6, 2020, from https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.neu.edu/docview/2186632659/fulltext/53D3149F271B4B76PQ/1?accountid=12826
  9. United States: City to take immediate steps to protect East Boston, Charlestown from climate change. (2017). MENA Report, Retrieved from http://ezproxy.neu.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.neu.edu/docview/1956762565?accountid=12826

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