Mitigating the Effects of Extreme Heat on the Residents of Chelsea, MA

Project Partner: Greenroots, Inc., Summer 2023

Project Summary:

The City of Chelsea is one of the hottest areas in Greater Boston, but many of the city’s residents don’t have adequate access to cooling in their homes. As temperatures continue rising, more individuals will face the negative effects of extreme heat. This problem is in large part structural: although Massachusetts has regulations to protect residents from cold, there are no equivalent regulations to protect residents from heat.

Beverly partnered with GreenRoots, Inc., an environmental justice organization based in Chelsea, to research policy opportunities for protecting residents from heat. She delved into the regulatory landscape in Massachusetts to determine potential pathways for implementation. She also reviewed residential cooling policies from states and municipalities outside Massachusetts and synthesized key elements to facilitate the development of such a policy in Chelsea. Finally, she considered the challenges and limitations of regulatory action.

Based on this work, Beverly drafted language for a residential cooling ordinance that could be implemented by local boards of health in Massachusetts. She plans on sharing her draft and the resources she compiled with the Massachusetts Association of Health Boards in hopes of sparking interest in the promulgation of cooling standards.

Project Deliverables:

• Lightning talk: Mitigating the Effects of Extreme Heat on the Residents of Chelsea. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9BDvNY25mU.
• Presentation at the 2024 BU URBAN Annual Symposium: Mitigating the Effects of Extreme Heat on the Residents of Chelsea, MA.
• Policy brief, shared with stakeholders: Policy Opportunities for Mitigating the Effects of Extreme Heat in Massachusetts Residences.
• Contributed to manuscript submitted to peer-reviewed journal: A.M. McIntyre, M.P. Fabian, A. Nori-Sarma, M. Healy, Ge, J. Geddes, B. Bowman, P. Kinney, R. Bongiovanni, M.K. Scammell. 2024. Harnessing geospatial data for urban climate resilience: Insights from a fine scale ambient temperature analysis in an urban heat island. Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy. Manuscript under review.
• Draft ordinance requiring the provision of cooling in Chelsea and summary of existing cooling policies, to be shared with the Massachusetts Association of Health Boards

See Beverly’s URBAN Internship Lightning Talk here.