Community Change and Resident Needs: Designing a Participatory Action Research Study in Metropolitan Boston
The Healthy Neighborhoods Study examines the relationship between neighborhood change and population health in nine Massachusetts neighborhoods. Baseline data from the survey show that participants believed certain social factors would improve their lives.
Climate Change and the Massachusetts Public Waterfront Act
In order to meet the growing threat of climate change along the Massachusetts coast, the Commonwealth must update its laws and regulations to reflect changing climate conditions such as anticipated sea level rise and increased frequency and severity of extreme weather events. This task includes critical updates to the Public Waterfront Act program and its…
Conservation Matters Winter 2019
From climate to transit, from your tap water to the ocean, and from Maine to Connecticut, CLF and New England are poised to make progress where governments falter. Turn Off the Gas Winter Snow and Ice Bring Out Big Gas’s Fearmongers. Why is the Region’s Electric Grid Operator among Them? Progress Report Clear Skies Ahead…
Designing and Facilitating Collaborative Research Design and Data Analysis Workshops: Lessons Learned in the Healthy Neighborhoods Study
A lack of resources on community research design is an impediment to more community-engaged research. This article describes how a consortium of community residents, grassroots community organizations, and academic and public institutions implemented collaborative research design and data analysis processes as part of a participatory action research (PAR) study investigating the relationship between neighborhoods and health in the greater Boston area.
People’s Guide to the Public Waterfront Act
The Massachusetts Public Waterfront Act gives you the right to speak up, be heard, and shape the future of our waterfront interests. Specifically, the law creates a process that ensures members of the public can testify at a hearing on certain proposed waterfront projects or submit comments and concerns in writing. This guide will help…
Conservation Matters Summer 2018
The prosperity of future generations of New Englanders depends on the health of our waters and marine resources and the public’s ability to access them.
How Autonomous Vehicles Will Drive Our Budgets
Big changes are underway that will affect how Massachusetts residents get around. Companies are racing to bring autonomous vehicles to the market as quickly as possible. Self-driving vehicles are already on the streets in Boston’s Seaport District for testing purposes. We can expect them in more regular use as early as 2020 and widely available…
Conservation Matters Spring 2018: Year in Review
In this special issue of Conservation Matters, we want to take you behind the scenes of our work, to give you a glimpse into how we break down challenges and take advantage of opportunities to create a healthy, thriving New England – not just for today, but for generations to come.
Climate Adaptation and Liability: A Legal Primer and Workshop Summary
Climate change impacts are affecting New England communities now, so CLF set out to determine the liability risks of government entities and other decision makers if they fail to prepare for these impacts. The result is the CLF Climate Adaptation and Liability report, which looks at the theories of legal liability for design professionals (such as…
Conservation Matters Fall 2017
We are at a defining moment in the effort to avert the threat of climate catastrophe. President Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord has put the United States on the wrong side of history. With renewed urgency, CLF is escalating our work to develop legally binding climate laws, like the one we helped create and enforce here in Massachusetts, in every New England state.