Department or Program

Environmental Studies

Abstract

Climate Change is impacting the city of Boston, Massachusetts in exacerbating measures through rising sea levels, extreme heat and cold, and stronger storms, and the city is addressing these issues through climate adaptation and resilience plans and solutions. By analyzing the discourse used throughout three adaptation plans, this thesis paper explores the uneven and disproportionate impacts that climate change has on certain communities, as well as the uneven distribution of resources that the city provides to these communities. The purpose of this thesis paper is to address the intersectional inequalities and environmental gentrification that has surfaced through green resiliency plans in the city of Boston, Massachusetts. This is a case study of urban climate resilient development. It will focus on three reports written by the city of Boston: Heat Resilience Plan, Housing A Changing City 2030, and the Green New Deal. With these reports, I will be utilizing a multi-dimensional, interconnected, and intersectional framework to review and analyze the three climate adaptation reports. To gain insight, I framed two questions throughout the paper: (1) How has Boston’s goal to become a green new deal city directly or indirectly promoted environmental gentrification throughout its communities, (2) What political measures have been made to decrease housing inequality, and what are the major factors that promote continual inequalities throughout historically impacted neighborhoods of gentrification. With these questions in mind, I found that these adaptation plans come short of addressing the needs of its communities at an intersectional level.

Level of Access

Restricted: Campus/Bates Community Only Access

First Advisor

Jamie Haverkamp

Date of Graduation

5-2023

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Number of Pages

53

Components of Thesis

1 pdf file

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