Climate Resilience in Massachusetts 

Climate Resilience in Massachusetts: a survey on Impacts and Strategies 

This ongoing survey-based research study started in 2021. Conducted by a team of researchers from across the University of Massachusetts system, the study 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.)

PARTNERS 

The UMass School of Earth and Sustainability and the UMass Transportation Center are partners in this project that includes scholars from 

• UMass Boston

• UMass Amherst

• UMass Lowell

• UMass Dartmouth

Summary: Already affected by severe climate impacts, municipalities have started planning and developing numerous types of resilience strategies including planning, engineering and nature-based solutions. Coastal communities are more likely than inland communities to have already deployed climate resilience strategies. However, municipalities are facing major barriers. Resource constraints and lack of technical expertise are major bottlenecks for smaller and poorer municipalities. In particular, limited staffing and grant writing capacity compromise the ability of municipalities to finance resilience strategies. Inability to secure grants may in turn generate severe, long-term climate justice issues, exacerbating inequalities between wealthier communities and underserved communities. The results of this study may inform climate resilience policy across the United States of America toward a just and inclusive climate adaptation future

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 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