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BRA Solicits Ideas and Best Practices Related to Climate Change Preparedness and Resiliency Policy

Nov 01, 2013

On October 29, 2013 Kairos Shen, BRA Chief Planner, and Brian Swett, City of Boston Chief of Energy and Environment, hosted  a public meeting at the BRA to discuss how climate change preparedness and resiliency can be better incorporated into Boston’s building practices.

The meeting was part of the BRA’s and the City's ongoing efforts to collaborate with Boston's builders, developers, property owners and managers, institutions, and residents to establish strategies and best practices to prepare the City for, and protect the City from, the possible effects of climate change. Some examples of these effects include extreme heat, worsening storms, and major flooding events. At the October 29 meeting, Shen reaffirmed Boston’s commitment to thoughtfully preparing for climate change impacts, saying, "Boston has a long history of embracing the harbor. We are not backing away from the water and we will continue to evolve together.”  

Drawing from a survey of best practices and from the recently released Building Resilience in Boston, “Best Practices” for Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience for Existing Buildings, a study commissioned by the Boston Society of Architects for the Boston Green Ribbon Commission, the BRA has prepared a draft Climate Change Preparedness and Resiliency Checklist and set of Guidelines for all new large development projects. The Guidelines offer general strategies and best practices to eliminate or mitigate adverse climate change-related impacts on the built environment. The Checklist is intended to assist development teams and the BRA in assessing potential climate-change related vulnerabilities for specific projects undergoing review.

On November 14, the final versions of the Guidelines and the Checklist will be presented to the BRA Board.  The new Climate Change Preparedness and Resiliency policy will require large project developers to submit a completed Climate Change Preparedness and Resiliency Checklist as part of their Article 80 review process, but will not create any new building regulations.

Both the Guidelines and the Checklist are currently works in progress, and the BRA encourages members of the development community to contact them with best practices and strategies that might be incorporated into the work. Please send your thoughts to John Dalzell, BRA Senior Architect, by November 13, 2013.

Elsewhere in Boston on October 29, Mayor Thomas M. Menino announced his administration's progress on climate change preparedness, and released a related report, Climate Ready Boston: Municipal Vulnerability to Climate Change. The City also welcomes feedback and ideas related to climate change on the Greenovate Boston website.

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