Quincy Climate Ready

QUINCY

CLIMATE READY Natural Systems + Resilient Communities

By: AndrĂŠs David Quinche Second Semester Core Urban Planning Studio Harvard Graduate School of Design

Introduction As climate change increasingly becomes a leading issue during the 21st century, and as countries continue to experience more frequent and intense climatic incidents, leading nations and cities are reimagining the way they plan and build for the future.

For coastal cities sea-level rise and frequent flooding incidents increasingly appear on the front pages of magazines and newspapers. One cannot forget Hurricane Katrina, in 2005, and Super-storm Sandy, in 2010. Recent studies led by the

Projecting Flooding Costs 2005 AVERAGE FLOOD LOSS:

$6 BIL L ION 2050 PROJECTED FLOOD LOSS:

$52 BILLION GLOBAL FLOOD DAMAGE FOR COASTAL CITIES

$1 TRILLION Figure 1 | Flooding Cost Estimations Source: worldbank.org

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World Bank (WB) and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) forecast that average flood losses will increase from $6 billion per year in 2005 to $52 billion a year by 2050, based on socio-economic factors alone. Global flood damage for large coastal cities could cost $1 trillion a year if they do not take the necessary steps to adapt and prepare (Figure 1).

Natural Systems Here lies Quincy, Massachusetts, a city at the crossroads of growth and climate change; therein lies an amazing opportunity to develop in a way that is resilient and sustainable. Resilient not only to shocks such as climate change and sea-level rise, but also resilient to chronic stresses such as inequality, homelessness, and other societal issues. Quincy is at a time and place where it can become an exemplary modern, equitable, and sustainable urban area.

This chapter outlines one of Quincy’s greatest strengths, its natural assets, and argues that the city can develop a

model of growth that has as its first tenant the continued preservation of these assets. It identifies the best areas for growth and provides a blueprint guided by case studies from other American and International cities that have seamlessly integrated water management, community participation, and economic growth with urban planning and design.

Figure 2 | Relationship Between Urban Areas and Ecosystems and Natural Assets Source: Marina Alberti

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Natural Asset Scan Surface Geology

Surface geology matters when thinking not only about water but also the built environment and its suitability. Alluvial plains are a large assemblage of fluvial landforms that form low gradient ramps. These plains periodically flood and get inundated, which means housing should be built on stilts and flood preventions methods should be implemented. Gravel and sand deposits have high permeability and high field capacity allowing for water to filter through at faster rates, these soils are optimal for green infrastructure (later discussed in the chapter).

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Bedrock Lithology Basin Sedimentary

Bedrock Lithology describes the physical characteristics visible at outcrop, in hand, or core samples. It is important because it can dictate transmission of water pollutants (metamorphic rock prevent this seepage) and because its depth can be deleterious for septic tank use.

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Natural Asset Scan

The topography of a site is also of importance. Surface slopes before and after development must be considered, since erosion of cover material may expose trash.

Floodplain proximity and flood level must be taken into account, as well as the effects of topography and underground drainage. Lastly, topography dictates the amount of runoff and infiltration.

To p o g r a p h i c C o n t o u r s

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Core Habitats are specific areas necessary to promote the long-term persistence of species of conservational concern, exemplary natural communities, and intact ecosystems. It also prioritizes intact landscapes in the state that can support ecological processes and disturbance regimes. These areas should continue to be protected and development on or near them should be discouraged.

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TOPOGRAPHY GEOLOGY BEDROC KS 6

Suitability Analysis

The benefits of conducting an intensive suitability and environmental scan of all of natural assets and systems that affect the urban built form leads to an understanding of how humans and nature are meshed.

The landscapes’ characteristic patterns of ecosystems uncovers the fluxes of energy, mineral nutrients, and species among their component ecosystems, providing important knowledge for addressing land-use issues.

After conducting this analysis, development areas can be mapped and selected. In Quincy, the following should be considered; 1. There should be no construction within close proximity to the core habitats.

2. Open spaces should be preserved.

3. Trees should be planted along downslope.

4. Any construction along the coast should have at least a 50-100ft setback from a marsh or wetland.

5. No more construction atop flood alluvium soils.

6. New development in the 100 year and 500 year floodplains needs to be flood-proofed.

7. A plan to build sea-grass meadows, oyster barriers and dunes to improve biodiversity, enhance self-adaptive systems, and build coastal resilience should be highly considered.

Risks While looking at the different climatic projections for Quincy it is evident that water is increasing becoming an issue. The FEMA flood hazard map and the hurricane hazard map demonstrate the great risk that the community faces. Over the years, Quincy has increasingly been affected by constant inland flooding and storm-water sewage overflows.

Given the increasing risks, if the city does not begin to adequately prepare, a catastrophic storm such as Sandy (category 3), which landed just a few hundred miles south of Massachusetts could be devastating for the city’s economy and theLegend dense population living close FEMA_NFHL_POLY to the ocean. Quincy has already been investing in improving its resilience to coastal flooding, but it needs to acknowledge that the construction of seawalls are often ineffective, since they do not prevent erosion of the beach. In severe storms, vertical seawalls are often damaged and destroyed.

Coastal community subdivisions should be built according to particular guidelines and any beachfront lots should be set back behind dunes and high hazard zones.

Long-term ecological approaches should begin to be considered.

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Green Infrastructure + Low Impact Development Typical storm-water management strategies aim to move water off-site and into storm drains as quickly as possible. These strategies are often costly and not always proven to be effective. Low Impact Development (LID) and Green Infrastructures (GF) aim to do the complete opposite.

Unlike gray infrastructures, LID and GF

keep more water on-site for longer times in order to absorb and infiltrate â&#x20AC;&#x201D; they control urban runoff and pollution at the source. These softer infrastructures emphasize more localized approaches and decentralized solutions that capitalize on the beneficial services that natural ecosystem functions can provide.

Examples: Vegatated Swales

Permeable Pavers

Rain Gardens

Bump-Outs

Broad, shallow channel with a dense stand of vegetation covering the side slopes and the bottom. Natural or man made, and are designed to trap particulate pollutants, promote infiltration, and reduce flow velocity from storm-water runoff.

Capture rain and excess irrigation water from roofs, driveways and yards. Runoff is directed into the rain garden to support landscapes and for infiltration to ground water. Ideal for residential use.

Infiltration Swales

Designed for conveyance and infiltration, with less emphasis on growing vegetation. They are depressions created by excavation, berms, or small dams placed in a channel intended to infiltrate the storm runoff from impervious surfaces.

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Permeable pavers allow water to percolate through crevices between paving blocks. They come in a variety of styles, shapes and sizes. Cobblestones are a popular example.

Small vegetated swales used in well established neighborhoods where other options for infiltration may be limited. They reduce runoff, provide an attractive focal point for a street, and can be used to slow traffic to improve pedestrian safety.

Riparian Buffers

Riparian buffers are strips of vegetated land adjacent to a river or stream. In addition to providing wildlife habitat, the grasses, shrubs and trees along stream banks capture sediments and pollutants and prevent erosion.

Green Infrastructure + Low Impact Development Recent studies by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that compared numerous LID and GF projects across the US with conventional gray infrastructure measures demonstrated that there is considerable capital cost saving. Saving ranged from 15-80% depending on the size of the

project. Besides the cost-benefits there are environmental, social, and community benefits created by these projects. The greening of urban areas has demonstrated a reduction of the urban heat island effect, carbon sequestration, and groundwater recharge.

Figure 3 | Nashville, Tennessee - Curb Cuts Source: cleanwaternashville.org

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Learning from other cities Philadelphia Five years ago, Philadelphia launched the Green City, Clean Waters (CGCW) initiative, a 25-year plan to fulfill federal law requirement under the Clean Water Act (CWA). The CWA has required nearly 800 communities nationwide to reduce sewage run-off. Philadelphiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s approach was to strike an agreement with the EPA to pursue a more affordable approach to wastewater management. A $1.6 billion green infra- structure initiative was settled, and since then, over 107 public projects and 389 private projects have been completed. This has translated into around $35 million in total annual revenues for the numerous firms involved and annual economic impacts of $57 million dollars. CGCW continues to provide opportunities for smaller local firms and local employees. The projects are smaller in

scale, there are more of them, and they continue for years. Conversely, after a giant holding tank is built, the work is done. Additionally, Philadelphia is also charging higher storm-water fees to properties that generate the most runoff, and reducing fees on lower-impact properties, like high-rise buildings with little surface parking. All of the non-residential properties in the city, and residential condos over a certain size, pay for the impervious surface with a storm-water fee. A fee of about thirteen dollars is imposed on residential row-homes. Previously, large malls with big parking lots had much smaller fees. Now, these malls are paying huge fees based on the size and impact of these huge parking lots.

Additionally, projects over a certain size have to pay for impervious surfaces. This approach is helping fund numerous projects throughout the city.

Figure 4 | Philadelphiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Proposed Green Infrastructure Network Source: gridphilly.com

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Learning from other cities Copenhagen During the summer of 2011, the city of Copenhagen, Denmark, received over 150 mm of rain in three hours. This resulted in massive flooding throughout the city and damages of almost one billion euro. This event highlighted the necessity for a more integrated and sustainable urban plan to deal with water.

Following the storm, the city implemented a Comprehensive Climate Adaptations Plan, which heavily incorporated LID and GI as an integrated part of urban development. The plan considers water a valuable asset to embrace rather then immediately reject. Now Copenhagen uses a holistic and integrated approach to water management. For example, it requires the implementation of wastewater and storm-water management at early stages within any urban planning

process. Denmark is also a leader in design driven solutions. It has implemented innovative projects such as the Rabalder. The Ribalder is 40,000 square meter skate park that also functions to harvest rainwater. The construction of the park double as recreational and storm-water management basins in the city. Another city in Denmark, Kokkedal, is designing a park along its river to slow water flows, allow groundwater to recharge, and remove pollutants. The city recognized that flood storage will be used infrequently, therefore channels and storage areas are made into connecting path, recreation fields, and attractive social and educational spaces for daily use.

Figure 5 | Copenhagen Harbor Bath Source: archdaily.com

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Multiplying Opportunities:

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Figure 6 | Opportunities for Ecological Corridors Source: Author

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Pope John Paul II Park

Andrew Park

Quincy is fortunate to have an extensive network of green spaces; over 74% of the land is already covered in pervious surfaces, in large part due to the Blue Hill Reservation. This provides a unique opportunity for implementing a network of green infrastructures that connect to the existing parks and nature reserves. By thinking of Quincy as a network of patches and corridors, existing green spaces can be connected through stepping stones that do not only provide mobility for a number of species, but also build more porous surfaces around areas prone to flooding.

Coyotes

Increasing Green Patches for Species Movement

Tu r key Vu l t u r e s Rose Breasted Beak

Indigo Bunting

Blue Hill Avenue Reservation

Blue Hill Avenue Reservation

Figure 7 | Elevation Diagram and Species Movements

Source: Author

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Apply for Federal Funding: Seek funding through grants from the Environmental Protection Agencyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWS- RF).

Enterprise Drive 14

Marshland Reclamation

Figure 8| Marshland Reclamation Conceptual Render

Source: Author

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Street-scape Improvements

Newport Avenue + Brook St 16

Storm Water Fees to Fund Green Infrastructure: New or existing entities can be tasked with managing fee collection and spending.

Figure 9 | Green Infrastructure Implementations Conceptual Render

Source: Author

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Incentivize Green Infrastructures in All Developments: Offer incentives in the form of density bonuses, increased FARâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, reduced size of required drainage infrastructure, discounted utility fees, and

Fayette St + W Squantum St 18

LEED Certified Mixed-Used Development

Figure 10 | Mixed-Use Development Project - Conceptual Render

Source: Author

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Recommendations + Opportunities Quincy has tremendous opportunity and the potential to become a leading example of how a coastal city can successfully prepare for climate change and flooding.

By following some of the best examples it has the opportunity to implement a number of strategies that will not only contin-

ue to allow for development, but do so in a way that is sustainable and resilient both economically and socially. Below are a number of recommendations in policy, implementation, and design, followed by a brief conceptual project that links development, recreation, and conservation.

Storm Water Fees to Fund Green Infrastructure: New or existing entities can be tasked with managing fee collection and spending.

Demonstration Projects: Implement demonstration projects and monitor them for effectiveness and suitability of design.

Municipalities should take the initiative to experiment with LID designs and identify those that work well in local conditions.

Storm Water Fee Discounts: Offer storm-water fee discounts to customers who reduce impervious cover using green infrastructure practices, including rain gardens, infiltration trenches, porous pavements, vegetated swales, and green roofs.

Apply for Federal Funding: Seek funding through grants from the Environmental Protection Agencyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWS- RF).

Take Advantage of Existing Networks: Low-Impact Development and Green In- Utilize the numerous initiatives that assist frastructure Ordinances: Pass legislation in risk mitigation and resilience building that require sites of certain sizes to imple- for city networks and organizations, e.g., ment green infrastructures.

Rockefeller Foundationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Capacity Building Initiative, the Ford Foundation, and Incentivize Green Infrastructures in All Rebuild by Design.

Developments: Offer incentives in the form of density bonuses, increased FARâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, Continue to Engage: Maintain a particireduced size of required drainage infrapatory planning process that continuously structure, discounted utility fees, and tax engages and educates the community credits. about ongoing projects and initiatives.

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Sources + Page 6:

References

Watson, Donald, and Michele C. Adams. Design for Flooding: Architecture, Landscape and Urban Design for Resilience to Flooding and Climate Change. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2011. Print.

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Watson, Donald, and Michele C. Adams. Design for Flooding: Architecture, Landscape and Urban Design for Resilience to Flooding and Climate Change. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2011. Print.

Page 8:

Chan, Hann. Green Infrastructure for Los Angeles: Addressing Urban Runoff and Water Supply Through Low Impact Development. Rep. Los Angeles: UCLA Department of Urban Planning, 2007. Wiley. Web. Vegetate Swale: Terra Fluz Rain Garden: Grants Gardens Infiltration Swale: Land Perspective Permeable Paver: Canterbury NZ Bump-Out: Four Corner Daily Riparian Buffer: Land Perspective

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;Reducing Stormwater Costs through Low Impact Development (LID) Strategies and Practices.â&#x20AC;? USEPA, 2007.

Page 10:

Econsult, ed. The Economic Impact of Green City, Clean Waters: The First Five Years. Rep. Sustainable Business Network, 29 Jan. 2016. Web.

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Klee, Pia, and Rethinking Water Network, eds.

Rethinking Urban Water for New Value in Cities: Sustainable Solutions for Integrated Urban Water Management. Rep. Copenhagen: n.p., 2013.

Print.

Thoren, Roxi. Landscapes of Change: Innovative Designs and Reinvented Sites. N.p.: n.p., n.d.

195-205. Print.

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