Boston is taking preemptive action against chronic, widespread flooding that is expected by the end of the century. On Oct. 29, as part of climate-change preparations, 100 designers and representatives of the city's flood-vulnerable areas will gather for a "living with water" charrette. Also, the city will kick off an international design competition to attract living-with-water flood-management strategies, which allow defined areas to flood or contain water to prevent damage to other areas.
Boston Harbor is protected by natural barriers from the type of storm surge that wreaked havoc in Lower Manhattan and other New York City-area towns during 2012's Superstorm Sandy. But the sea level in Boston, which sits just above the high-tide level, has risen one foot over the past century. Climate scientists project a 2-ft to 6-ft sea-level rise in Boston by 2100. They say that if Sandy's storm surge had peaked at high tide in Boston, the city would have experienced a 100-year flood.