Environments by Design
Abstract
In recent years with the rising acknowledgment of the cascading impacts, climate change will have on the urban environment and our cities, many local governments develop visionary plans. Many of these projects capture our times’ urban and social challenges and outline comprehensive implementation roadmaps for spatial, civil, and regulatory solutions. Plans for transformative actions will span over the next decades and require a herculean effort of financial investment, construction of infrastructure, and operation and maintenance mechanisms. To commence such a measure, collective action and political will are necessary. This paper will explore the driving forces behind successful large urban infrastructure projects in the past.
Following a legacy of environmental and infrastructure initiatives, Boston’s harbor has transformed in the last 30 years from an industrial wasteland to an essential resource for urban development and public benefit. With rapid growth, an increase in population, and impending climate threats, today, Boston’s waterfront poised for another significant transformation. This paper will examine comparable urban projects to gather lessons to address resilience as the next major urban challenge. Responding to the 2016 Climate Ready Boston initiative framed the City’s particular vulnerabilities and has resulted in the Mayor’s Harbor Vision for a unifying objective aimed at leveraging open spaces for resilience and equity.
This research conducted a retrospective review of the Boston Harbor Cleanup and the Central Artery Tunnel construction to extract methods and challenges for implementing and evaluating the long-term impact on the City. This paper will focus on aspects of the public advocacy that pushed the government for action and the new governance frameworks created to facilitate implementation. This paper concludes by proposing a framework for best practices to implement urban adaptation projects and will emphasize the significance of public participation in the process.
Dalia Munenzon has a decade of professional experience in architecture and urbanism. focusing on adaptive strategies and resiliency methods. She leverages experience in urban systems design, environmental planning and architecture to work with local communities across scales towards resilient cities and urban environments. Dalia serves as an Associate for One Architecture & Urbanism, leading the firm’s projects in the Greater Boston Area. Ms. Munenzons’ work on resilience is focused on waterfront design and long term strategic planning. Leading the office efforts on many high-profile, award winning projects.
Dalia received a M.Sc from MIT (SMarchs Architecture + Urbanism program) and a Bachelor in Architecture and Town Planning from the Technion, Israeli Institute of technology. She served as adjunct faculty at the Rhode Island School of Design and as critic and juror in multiple opportunities at MIT, Harvard GSD, Cooper Union, UC Berkeley, and others. She is an active member of the Boston Society of Architects Committee on Resilient Environments (CORE) and the ULI Resilience Committee. She hopes to carry forward her knowledge and experience to promote healthy, inclusive and resilient cities in the 21st century.
4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Friday 18th June, 2021