How Will Boston Accommodate Sea Level Rise? New Report Suggests Canals, Wetlands

What can a coastal city like Boston do to prepare for the effects of climate change and rising sea levels? Consider, for example, Back Bay, which was once a marsh and now sits just four feet above high tide. Climate experts say, over the next 75 years, sea levels could rise as much as seven and a half feet, which would swamp the neighborhood.

One proposal is to welcome the rising waters with a series of canals — which might give Boston some of the watery charm of Venice or Amsterdam. The idea is just one of many from some of Boston's top urban planners, engineers and architects in a report released Tuesday by the local chapter of the Urban Land Institute.

Some of them are flashy — like transforming Boston into Venice on the Atlantic. Others are more basic, like building break-waters in Boston Harbor, or raising the Harborwalk along the waterfront to protect the city's buildings. Whatever the solution, they remind us of the inescapable challenge of rising sea levels for cities like Boston.

Dennis Carlberg, director of sustainability at Boston University and co-chair of the Sustainability Council at the Urban Land Institute. He tweets @sustainableBU.

The Boston Globe: Report Offers Ideas For A Boston Beset By Rising Seas

WBUR: Boston Plans For 'Near-Term Risk' Of Rising Tides