ARLINGTON, MA — March 11, 2021 — This week the National League of Cities (NLC) announced that the Resilient Mystic Collaborative (RMC)—through its sponsoring community, Arlington, was chosen as one of eight new cities for its Leadership in Community Resilience program. The other seven communities are Alton, TX; Cedar Rapids, IA; Dubuque, IA; Flagstaff, AZ; Portsmouth, NH; Raleigh, NC; Spokane, WA. Each city receives $10,000 in direct financial support as well as technical assistance and advisory services from NLC staff and partners to help them meet community-specific resiliency goals. This is the fifth annual program cohort.
“The Resilient Mystic Collaborative has initiated a tremendous amount of regional climate change resilience work in the Greater Boston Area,” said Emily Sullivan, Environmental Planner and Conservation Agent for the Town of Arlington. “Regional solutions require regional participation, and Arlington is ready to work with its neighboring communities to mitigate climate change impacts, like extreme heat.”
In September 2020, the State MVP program awarded The Town of Arlington, on behalf of the entire RMC, an $186,200 grant to develop watershed-wide maps of day- and night-time “real feel” ground-level heat and humidity. Partnering with the Boston Museum of Science and hundreds of trained volunteer community scientists, RMC communities are collecting same-time data on air temperature, humidity, and particulates during summer 2021 heat waves.
“This is essential information we need to prioritize where and how to invest in improvements to keep people cooler and safer during heatwaves,” said Melanie Gárate, climate resilience manager for the Mystic River Watershed Association. “NLC funding and in-kind support will allow us to engage with residents and workers in some of the hottest neighborhoods to begin community-led design of effective cooling strategies.”
"Chelsea and East Boston residents have been among the hardest hit by COVID's public health and economic impacts, our already-vulnerable communities have been dealt a blow." said Ibrahim López-Hernández, Climate Justice Organizer of GreenRoots. "Our communities are also experiencing unprecedented climate impacts, especially extreme heat events. We're looking forward to helping folks stay cool while building community.
“Measuring the impact of extreme heat in our region is the first step in understanding how climate change affects different communities in vastly different ways,” said Tim Ritchie, President at the Museum of Science. “The Wicked Hot Mystic partnership is an example of how communities in Massachusetts are leading the nation in resiliency planning and research.”
“We are thrilled to be supporting the staff and elected leaders of eight new cities through our Leadership in Community Resilience Program.” said Clarence E. Anthony, CEO and Executive Director of the National League of Cities (NLC). “It is our hope that by elevating these innovative resilience projects, even more member cities can learn from and adopt resilient and equitable practices.”
In addition to the direct support provided to these eight cities, NLC will share their experiences and best practices with other NLC member cities, serving as examples for hundreds of other communities seeking to achieve greater resiliency for their residents and prepare for the impacts of climate change.
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About the National League of Cities
The National League of Cities (NLC) is the voice of America’s cities, towns and villages, representing more than 200 million people. NLC works to strengthen local leadership, influence federal policy and drive innovative solutions. Stay connected with NLC on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.
About the Resilient Mystic Collaborative
Founded by the Mystic River Watershed Association and ten climate-forward cities and towns, the Resilient Mystic Collaborative is a partnership among twenty neighboring communities in Greater Boston’s Mystic River Watershed working to protect our people and places from climate-intensified risks.
Mystic River Watershed at a Glance
The 76-square-mile Mystic River Watershed stretches from Reading through the northern shoreline of Boston Harbor to Revere. An Anglicized version of the Pequot word missi-tuk (“large river with wind- and tide-driven waves”), it is now one New England’s most densely populated, urbanized watersheds. The seven-mile Mystic River and its tributaries represented an early economic engine for colonial Boston. Ten shipyards built more than 500 clipper ships in the 1800s before roads and railways replaced schooners and steamships. Tide-driven mills, brickyards and tanneries along both banks of the river brought both wealth and pollution.
In the 1960s, the Amelia Earhart Dam transformed much of the river into a freshwater impoundment, while construction of Interstate 93 filled in wetlands and dramatically changed the river’s course. Since then, many former industrial sites have been cleaned up and redeveloped into new commercial areas and residential communities.
The Mystic is facing growing climate-related challenges: coastal and stormwater flooding, extreme storms, heat, drought and unpredictable seasonal weather. The watershed is relatively low-lying and extensively developed, making it prone to both freshwater and coastal flooding. Its 21 municipalities are home to a half-million residents, including many who are disproportionately vulnerable to extreme weather: environmental justice communities, elders, low-income residents and workers, people living with disabilities and English-language learners.
