Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
The Healey-Driscoll administration on Nov. 6 released its comprehensive statewide strategy to help coastal communities protect residents, strengthen local infrastructure, and safeguard the state’s natural resources.
Developed with direct input from local officials, residents and regional partners, the final ResilientCoasts Plan provides practical, community-driven steps to prepare for future storms, flooding, sea level rise, and erosion.
“When we invest in stronger roads, flood protections, and coastal restoration, we’re not just preventing damage,” Gov. Maura Healey said in a prepared statement. “We’re protecting livelihoods.”
“How to protect our homes, businesses, and working waterfronts was always top of mind during my time as mayor,” said Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, formerly the mayor of the coastal city of Salem. “This plan takes that local perspective and turns it into real, actionable steps for every coastal community. It gives municipalities the support and guidance they need to strengthen their future.”
Research shows that every $1 invested in resilience can yield about $13 in benefits and avoided recovery costs — and communities that delay action risk losing up to $33 in future economic activity for every dollar not invested, according to the administration. The ResilientCoasts Plan supports cities and towns in planning and prioritizing the projects that matter most — stronger shorelines, better storm protection, and safer roads.
The plan is designed to support local decision-making and make it easier for towns and regions to access funding, share data, and coordinate projects. It lays out the steps to protect people and property, strengthen infrastructure, and preserve natural buffers like dunes, wetlands, and salt marshes that reduce flood risks.
“Local leaders are on the front lines battling climate change impacts and recognize the urgent need for effective resiliency strategies,” said MMA Executive Director Adam Chapdelaine. “Municipal officials see solutions in this plan that continue to empower them to address the specific and unique challenges that they face in their communities. We are grateful for the efforts of all involved.”
Plan details
ResilientCoasts identifies 15 Coastal Resilience Districts, grouping nearby cities and towns that share common characteristics like landform type, natural environment, built infrastructure, population and development character, and coastal risks. The purpose of these districts is to promote regional collaboration, inform prioritization of district-scale coastal resilience projects, and help prevent redundant efforts. In addition, data sharing, collaborative risk assessment, and tracking of progress on coastal resilience will be improved across communities.
Within the Coastal Resilience Districts, the plan identifies Near-Term Adaptation Areas with high concentrations of people and housing, development and infrastructure, and/or economic resources expected to be exposed to coastal flooding by the 2030s. Identification of these areas helps direct limited resources where they will make the biggest difference for residents and local economies — for example, in areas with high concentrations of critical local and regional infrastructure at risk.
The plan provides guidance on a suite of resilience measures that can be applied across different coastal landscapes, with a focus on areas along the immediate shoreline or within the coastal floodplain where the highest risks coincide with vulnerable development.
Examples include:
• Elevating roads and homes above expected flood levels
• Relocating people and housing to safer locations
• Floodproofing critical infrastructure
• Implementing nature-based solutions like salt marsh restoration, beach nourishment, and cobble berms to absorb flooding
• Retrofitting and redesigning seawalls
Continuing commitment
Over the past two decades, Massachusetts has invested nearly $200 million in local resilience projects across 98 coastal communities.
The governor said her proposed environmental bond bill, the Mass Ready Act, would advance many ResilientCoasts recommendations, including authorizing $200 million for near-term coastal resilience projects. The legislation would also move forward several of the plan’s policy recommendations to advance resilience statewide, including requiring flood disclosure to ensure residents are aware of flood risks before they purchase or lease a home, adding resilience expertise to the board that oversees updates to the state building code, streamlining permitting for nature-based solutions, and creating a new Resilience Revolving Fund to provide low-interest loans for municipal projects that protect communities and prevent future damage, such as floodplain protection and nature-based solutions.