The Ins and Outs of Boston's Resilience Plan

Well. First things first. Boston is not the ideal resilience model, but its slowly working (and sometimes pushed) toward that goal. In terms of minor and major disaster preparedness, the city has a good plan in place. Evacuation routes are clearly marked, and pamphlets inform residents of how to prepare for and respond to in emergencies.

But resilience is about more than being able to respond to a disaster by fleeing. Resilience is about the ability of a community or organization to respond to short term and long term alterations in the environment (called pulses and presses).

Boston currently received a Tier 1 Urban Area Security Initiatives listing by the Department of Homeland Security, which will allow the city to invest in "building a culture of readiness and resilience" as Mayor Menino put it. The goal is to develop integrated planning communities and protocols in the event of a catastrophe, ensuring the city's safety. What these will look like remains to be seen.

But on the ground, groups and organizations are working together and individually to make their parts of the city more resilient. Parts of Allston-Brighton have put together a green streets project to decrease the amount of impervious surface in order to also decrease flooding and run-off. The city is committed to increasing green-space, the presence of which further decreases pressures on stormwater systems, while having the added benefit of increasing social cohesion, often decreasing crime. Groups throughout the city are working to increase the number of community gardens, increasing food security in the event of a crisis, while providing children and anyone else who wants it a safe space to learn and grow.

Boston is also part of the Urban Ecology Collaborative, a group of six cities dedicated to identifying ways to increase their resilience. The Urban Ecology Institute, an organization started by Boston College and dedicated to environmental education in low income neighborhoods through teaching and action is working to increase the city's tree canopy. Not only will this effort beautify the city, but increased tree canopy has been correlated with decreased asthma rates among children.

In mid-2009, Mayor Menino announced that $300,000 (I know not a lot, but it's something) would be dedicated to Empowerment Zone funding, establishing green-job training for inner city youths.

The city is dedicated to reducing carbon emissions, increasing energy efficiency, and using renewable energy where possible.

The list goes on.

And what have I done on this front?

Well, I've shared this information with two of my cla**** and have worked with both of them to establish complete sustainability/resilience plans for the Allston-Brighton and Fenway/Kenmore areas. Other groups have addressed other areas in the city. Together, we're mapping the city's future, from land use to green jobs, stormwater management to food security.

It's taking baby steps, but Boston is on its way to becoming a resilient city in more ways than one.