Massachusetts Statewide Flood Vulnerability Assessment

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is proactively approaching climate action and resilience planning with numerous efforts completed in recent years. The Commonwealth has led the nation in greenhouse gas reductions over the last decade. Planning Communities played an integral role in a statewide Flood Vulnerability Assessment implemented by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs and Department of Conservation and Recreation as a High Priority project identified in the 2023 Resilient Mass Plan. The assessment included developing mapping that demonstrates areas that are vulnerable to flooding across the state and those communities that are most vulnerable to flooding impacts. The statewide Flood Vulnerability Assessment was built upon a robust engagement program to better understand where and how flooding is occurring across the state and to identify the data and resources communities need to support their efforts to address flooding. The project’s high-level process started with data collection and compilation, collecting supplemental local data and creating maps, then moved on to with ‘Ground Truthing’ the data collection with robust engagement. The work then focused on maps and materials, and ultimately the Flood Assessment tool was piloted with select Massachusetts communities.

Planning Communities supported critical elements of the process, bridging the technical and engagement efforts. In addition to mapping and visualization, the firm guided an engagement strategy utilizing virtual and in-person approaches. The firm’s central work produced an online platform that houses interactive maps and surveys that tie together the in-person and virtual engagement. The firm has also co-presented and facilitated meetings for the MA Justice40 Working Group, stakeholder working groups, and multi-agency Quarterly Meetings for the project. Planning Communities also co-developed and refined a comprehensive engagement strategy, which included specific tactics with the goals of: elevating the voices of flood-vulnerable EJ populations and empowering them in the resiliency planning process; strengthening partnerships between municipalities and flood- vulnerable EJ populations; and ground-truthing local, state and federal data/models on flood exposure and vulnerabilities in EJ communities.