One Civic Act

Five years ago, the City of Somerville began a planning process to develop a master plan for Davis Square. The process has involved many levels of citizen input, some trial runs of new ideas, forward-thinking consultants and dedicated staff. Today, I attended a presentation of a draft master plan , from the Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development. They set up roughly six stations and had different personnel discuss a specific aspect of the master plan at each station. Very interesting conversations to be had.

Climate change will have — actually, it already is having — a big impact on the food systems that have grown to be able to keep 8 billion people alive on Earth. It’s more fragile than you think, because climatic systems will have a big impact on intensive agriculture in both developed and developing nations. It’s hard to imagine what our future system will look like. Today, I supported a Kickstarter project that puts a unique spin on that imagination. Dinner in our Future Climate models drought-filled and flooded scenarios, both of which are expected to become more common, to imagine what our diets might look like. It will come to life in the form of recipes — and a photo essay.

This weekend is the heart of the Independent Film Festival of Boston, a regular highlight of my year. And this year, we got to participate in a special way: by hosting a subject from one of the documentaries playing at the festival. The film was Dawnland and it’s worth not only seeing it, but also understanding the issues surrounding it. Here’s how an NPR story in 2013 described it: “In Maine, an unusual and historic process is under way to document child welfare practices that once resulted in Indian children being forcibly removed from their homes. Many of the native children were placed with white foster parents. Chiefs from all five of Maine’s tribes, along with Gov. Paul LePage, have created a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to help heal the wounds.” The process was modeled after the Truth and Reconciliation process following apartheid in South Africa. But of course the circumstances for Maine’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission is unique...

Among the low-hanging fruit in addressing climate-related emissions is building efficiency. It’s relatively inexpensive to address and it pays for itself in reduced heating and cooling costs over time. But one problem that’s long been recognized is a “split incentive” problem when it comes to landlords and renters: It falls to a landlord to make building efficiency improvements but it’s the renters who benefit from lower heating and cooling costs (or just more comfortable spaces in general). Today, I did some desk research on the split incentive problem, focusing on case studies of Vancouver and Boulder, as well as thinking through some other solutions that might apply to Somerville. This was for Somerville’s Commission on Energy Use and Climate Change; I volunteered for a sub-committee that would look at the problem. Spoiler alert: No magic bullets in program design have emerged yet.

The Mystic River Watershed covers 76 square miles and runs through a critical part of Somerville, near the Amelia Earhart dam. A portion of Somerville’s climate vulnerability stems from its exposure to flooding associated with that dam — not from overtopping, but rather from rising waters being forced around the dam into the neighborhoods of Somerville. It’s a difficult problem to solve, of course, because the effects are spread across Boston, Somerville, Medford and other communities. And, of course, it involves state-owned facilities. Today, I attended a panel on climate resilience on the Mystic River , which brought together the Sustainability Directors of Somerville and Medford, with the Executive Director of the Mystic River Watershed Association and a planner with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council. The conversation focused on the collaboration required among communities and organizations. They tried to stay positive, but…

When you think of innovative startups, what usually comes to mind is hoodie-wearing Millennials solving problems they see in the world. Often those “problems” seem trivial as this tweet lampooned three years ago. https://twitter.com/azizshamim/status/595285234880491521?lang=en But some innovators are focusing on social outcomes — and by “social” I mean for the benefit of the community, not social media. Today, I attended a panel discussion on  social and community innovation. The moderator was Tito Jackson, former Boston city councilor and mayoral candidate, and the speakers included several innovators in the Boston startup community, including Justin Kang, Executive Director of City Awake and VP of Economic Growth at Boston Chamber of Commerce. The focus was on how startups that focus on social impact can gain a foothold and grow.

Today I visited Groundwork Somerville’s South Street Farm. Last year, on this tiny paved plot, the farm grew 2,000 pounds of fruits and vegetables in raised beds and a small greenhouse. Amazing program which works with youth on the farm and runs a mobile farmers market to address food deserts in the city. They ran a workshop to teach residents how they can grow food at home, with the most modest of plots, even just a 5-gallon bucket. Today, I was also on a cal for the outreach committee of the Climate Reality Project’s Boston chapter.