This webinar will discuss climate-smart parks in Metro Boston, covering the available tools, data analysis, and planning and design strategies for successful implementation. The Trust for Public Land and Metropolitan Area Planning Council developed and implemented a Climate Smart Parks data analysis and mapping tool to help Massachusetts towns plan and design urban parks and green infrastructure installations to support urban climate resilience. The metro-Boston city of Medford will showcase these tools and strategies in action with a real-world climate-resilient green infrastructure case study developed and implemented through the Metro Mayors Program.

• Brendan Shane, Director of Climate, The Trust for Public Land
• Darci Schofield, Senior Environmental Planner, Metropolitan Area Planning Council
• Alicia Hunt, Sustainability Director, City of Medford, MA

Learn more: https://www.epa.gov/soakuptherain/soak-rain-new-england-webinar-series

MAPC and Groundwork USA invite municipal and agency staff, community organizations and members, and renewable energy developers to join a virtual workshop on the potential of Brownfields to Brightfields (B2B) to advance equitable community development. B2B projects repurpose brownfields sites – land with known or potential hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants – with solar energy installations on ground-mounted arrays, building rooftops, or canopy structures. 

This workshop will share findings on models for B2B projects that advance equity and community benefits, highlighting real-world examples, challenges, and opportunities. Participants will learn about a new mapping tool for identifying potential B2B sites in Massachusetts and have the opportunity to lay the groundwork for future B2B project partnerships. 

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This project was made possible with support from EPA’s Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization. The event is free and preregistration is required. Register here and contact Julie Curti (jcurti@mapc.org) or Adi Nochur (adi@groundworkusa.org) with any questions.

Join the Mass. Association of Regional Planning Agencies and Division of Local Services to hear from special guests Governor Charlie Baker, Lt. Governor Karyn Polito, the Governor’s former Chief of Staff, Steve Kadish, as well as Secretaries Tesler, Acosta, Kennealy and Card about how to make the most of unprecedented infrastructure modernization resources and build a firm foundation for our Commonwealth’s future. Click here to register.

“Building the Foundation for our Future: Equitable Infrastructure Modernization in Massachusetts” will be hosted at College of the Holy Cross on Thursday, September 29, 2022.

After remarks from the Governor and Lt. Governor, we’ll welcome to the stage Secretaries Tesler, Acosta, Kennealy and Card to talk about the potential available funding in each of their fields, and how communities can work with the Commonwealth to make the most of this funding, followed by a brief audience Q&A.

Afternoon workshops led by senior administration officials and local leaders from across the Commonwealth provide the chance, among other things, to dive deeper into these funding opportunities, think through the challenges facing your community, and hear from other communities looking to work through those same challenges.

Finally, you’ll hear from former Baker Chief of Staff and Harvard Taubman Center Senior Fellow Steve Kadish about some of the most promising strategies for working with community members and stakeholders to make the local change that our communities need.

Workshop topics include:

• Building the Municipal Workforce Pipeline: Challenges and Opportunities
• Early Education Reimagined: Funding Reform and Municipal Implications
• Broadening Broadband: Expanding Access to High-Speed Internet
• Transportation Infrastructure and Recovery: Stimulating Local Economies with Infrastructure Improvements

EPA Region 1 continues to work on the development of a permit referred to as an “RDA Permit” – that will regulate stormwater run-off in the Charles, Mystic and Neponset River Watersheds.

In this webinar, the EPA will discuss the background and current development of the RDA permit, the types of actions that the permit will require, and will answer questions. The EPA is particularly interested in hearing from municipalities about how this permit can best be implemented to meet local as well as federal clean water goals.

For those unable to attend the presentation, there will be a chance after the draft permit is issued later this year, to provide comments to the EPA.

Register for the Webinar