Climate Resilience
Plum Island, Massachusetts (2019)
Coastal Resilience in Massachusetts: a Municipal survey on Impacts and Strategies
This survey-based research study, conducted by a team of researchers from across the University of Massachusetts system, has been developed in partnership with the Massachusetts Municipal Association (MMA) and the support of numerous Massachusetts planning agencies.
Online surveys, addressed to municipal leaders and regional planners, examine the following questions:
What are climate adaptation and risk mitigation concerns and priorities for MA municipalities?
What are the main barriers to climate resilience planning that municipalities are facing?
What types of external assistance would be most helpful in developing adaptation and resilience strategies? (data, technical assistance, financial support, etc.)
The results of the study has been used to inform the development of the new Northeast Center for Coastal Resilience (NCCR). The center will serve as a knowledge hub for stakeholders in Massachusetts and the broader US Northeast, as well as a collaborative, solution-oriented platform for communities, practitioners, policy makers, businesses, and researchers.
The project includes 2 surveys:
2021 Survey on Coastal Resilience
2023 Survey on Climate Resilient Infrastructure
2021 MUNICIPAL SURVEY
Data Collection completed in summer 2021
Report to policy makers published in November 2021: LINK
Vicarelli, Marta, Yu Ya Htut Tin, Madeline Leue, Aryen Shrestha, Mathew Barlow, Darci Connor Maresca, Andy Danylchuk, Robert Darst, Robert DeConto, Jynessa Dutka-Gianelli, John Duff, Gavin Fay, Jill Fitzimmons, James Heiss, Kelly Hellman, Katherine Kahl, Stratton Lloyd, Sheree Pagsuyoin, Meredith Rolfe, Eric Thomas, Iren Valova, 2021. “Climate Resilience: a Survey of Massachusetts Municipalities” University of Massachusetts Amherst, MA, USA.
Article in the Boston Globe: LINK
Press release and other resources: LINK
Peer-reviewed article in MassBenchmarks, 2024 LINK
Report, 2021
PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS
We are very grateful to the Massachusetts Municipal Association (MMA) and numerous planning agencies that supported our survey dissemination effort, including:
Cape Cod Commission
Martha's Vineyard Commission
Merrimack Valley Planning Commission
Metropolitan Area Planning Council
Northern Middlesex Council of Governments
Old Colony Planning Council
SURVEY PARTICIPANTS
111 - total number of municipalities that answered the survey at least once
142 - total number of responses from municipalities (sometimes more than one municipal official from the same municipality answered the survey)
10 - total number of planning agencies that answered te survey at least once
2021 SURVEY DESIGN TEAM
Principal Investigator: Marta Vicarelli, Assistant Professor, Department of Economics and School of Public Policy - University of Massachusetts (Amherst) Contact: Dr. Marta Vicarelli <mvicarelli@econs.umass.edu>
Numerous faculty members from the UMass system and external collaborators have been participated in the design the surveys:
Darci Connor Maresca UMass Amherst - School of Earth & Sustainability
Andy Danylchuk UMass Amhrst - Environmental Conservation
Robert Darst UMass Dartmouth - Political Science
Rob DeConto UMass Amherst - School of Earth & Sustainability
Jynessa Dutka-Gianelli UMass Amherst - Gloucester Marine Station
Kelly Hellman UMass Lowell - Economics
Paul Kirshen UMass Boston - School for the Environment
Stratton Lloyd Essex County Community Foundation (ECCF)
Sheree Pagsuyoin UMass Lowell - Civil and Enviornemntal Engineering
Meredith Rolfe UMass Amherst - Political Science
Jill Fitzsimmons UMass Amherst - Resource Economics
Eric Thomas UMass Amherst - Environmental Conservation
Jon Woodruff UMass Amherst - Geosciences
2023 MUNICIPAL SURVEY on TRANSPORTATION
Data Collection completed in summer 2021
Report to policy makers in preparation
Focus: transportation
2023 SURVEY DESIGN TEAM
UMass collaborators who participated in the design the surveys:
Marta Vicarelli UMass Amherst - Economics and School of Public Policy
Eleni Christofa UMass Amherst - Civil and Environmental Engineering
Chengbo Ai UMass Amherst - Civil and Environmental Engineering
Camille Berchers UMass Amherst - Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning
Michael Knodler UMass Amherst - Civil and Environmental Engineering
SURVEY DATA ANALYSIS TEAM
Principal Investigator: Marta Vicarelli, Assistant Professor, Department of Economics and School of Public Policy - University of Massachusetts (Amherst) Contact: Dr. Marta Vicarelli <mvicarelli@econs.umass.edu>
2021 SURVEY DATA ANALYSIS
Aryen Shrestha, Amherst College
Madeline Leue, School of Public Policy - University of Massachusetts (Amherst)
Yu Ya Htut Tin, Departments of Economics and Mathematics - University of Massachusetts (Amherst)
2021 SURVEY DATA ANALYSIS
Eric Shen, Isenberg School of Business, University of Massachusetts (Amherst)
Sarah Welch, Isenberg School of Business, University of Massachusetts (Amherst)