ABSTRACT

This chapter considers how adaptation planning is evolving in Boston and may continue to evolve into the future. It discusses the Harboring Uncertainty research interventions carried out with infrastructure stakeholders in Boston, including summaries of the processes and outcomes of the four groups that participated in the A New Connection in Westerberg exercise. The chapter describes the nature of the neo-pluralist and neo-liberal paradigm that Boston operates within, including the fragmented nature of decision-making, lack of investment and strong roles civil society organizations play. It briefly introduces the climate-related threats that the city and wider region face. The chapter explores infrastructure planning and decision-making in the Boston region – particularly for transportation and coastal defense infrastructure – interweaving how these processes are responding to climate-related threats. Given the fragmented nature of governance in the Boston context, it is not surprising that participants opined that engagement with other stakeholders is an important element of decision-making.