We’ve put together a list of projects and properties that will play the biggest role in shaping Boston’s future. As developers look to waterfront areas beyond the Seaport, we can both protect public access while also creating more open space, parks, and green space to help the region manage the impacts of climate change. And we can create more diverse neighborhoods with quality affordable housing, good transportation options, and amenities for all.
CLF’s annual Pitch a Blanket event shows how much people around Boston care about protecting public access to the waterfront. They also give people the chance to express their shared frustration about privatization of waterfront spaces and poor public access. This combination of factors has made the waterfront feel unwelcoming to many but the wealthy.
“Waterfront spaces in Massachusetts are owned by the public, and those ownership rights are being threatened,” said Bradley Campbell, President of CLF. “Developers continue to wall off access to the water, even as climate change threatens to render useless the precious few open spaces that do exist. This event was critical in bringing together people from communities across Boston to learn how to advocate for their right to access the waterfront.”
“The waterfront and Boston Harbor belong to all of us, not just the white and wealthy,” said Brad Campbell, President of CLF. “Too many developers have been allowed to wall off access to the water for the benefit of a few, and the rest of the city is finally taking note. We all paid for the cleanup of Boston Harbor and we all deserve equal access to it.”
“Given that every resident contributed to the billions of dollars it took to clean up the harbor, we think it’s important that everyone have access to the use of and enjoyment of it,” CLF president Brad Campbell said.
Boston is a quickly growing city, but not everyone is benefitting from that growth, especially along the waterfront. That’s why we’re inviting people to celebrate our public spaces on the waterfront – and our public right to access them.
CLF and Boston Harbor Now hosted a forum with diverse stakeholders – city and state leaders, advocacy organizations, the development community, and others – to discuss regulatory updates and other proactive measures that will not only allow for, but encourage, climate resiliency measures on Boston’s waterfront that benefit the public.
Campbell says CLF is championing this cause because of its role as a watchdog of state waterfront regulations, a responsibility that includes designated port areas. He says CLF has become more involved lately because these industrial parcels, and the jobs they support, are under greater threat amid the heat of the real estate market.
Boston is a quickly growing city, but not everyone is benefitting from that growth. Watch our video to learn more.
Boston Harbor is nearing a crossroads: Will it remain the People’s Harbor, open and accessible to the public? Or will it become an exclusive enclave welcome only to the wealthy? Will it be swamped by sea level rise and extreme weather? Or will it emerge as a national model for climate resiliency? We all can… Continue reading Pledge to Protect the People’s Harbor
