Healthy Places: Planning for Heat, Trees, and Open Space
What we are doing to increase open space, cool our neighborhoods, and protect Bostonians from the impacts of climate change.
Healthy Places is a collaboration between three City plans. These plans:
- expand the urban tree canopy
- plan for open space, and
- help Bostonians thrive in a changing climate.
Heat affects everyone in Boston, but it affects our vulnerable populations first and worst. Together these plans will build a safe, healthy, resilient, and accessible city for everyone.
Our three projects
Heat Resilience Solutions for Boston
This plan provides a citywide framework to prepare Boston for hotter summers, with particular focus on Boston's environmental justice neighborhoods.
Urban Forest Plan
This plan is a manual for how the Boston community can work together to prioritize, preserve, and grow our canopy.
Open Space and Recreation Plan
Updating the seven-year plan for improving and protecting open space in Boston.
How are heat, trees, and open space connected?
Our quality of life depends on so many factors. These include a healthy environment, economic security, and a resilient and accessible city landscape. Healthy Places will look at cooling the city, expanding the urban forest, and improving the park system. We want to support an environmentally just and resilient city that raises our quality of life.
Climate change increases heat
-
lack of trees and open space, and
-
more concrete, asphalt, and built infrastructure.
Trees and green, open space cool the City
-
the urban tree canopy
-
green space, and
-
wetlands and Urban Wilds.
Why is planning important?
Improved physical and mental health
- Better air quality and carbon mitigation
- Physical and mental health benefits of spending time outside
- Lower temperatures also decrease heat-related illnesses
Safe and healthy spaces for all Bostonians
- Increased community gathering spaces
- More opportunities for recreational programming
Equitable solutions
Working together so that every resident and neighborhood has equal investment for
- high quality of life
- access to green space, and
- protection from climate change.
Climate Ready Boston
Climate Ready Boston is the City’s initiative to prepare for the near- and long-term impacts of climate change.
We approach protecting our communities from climate change with a layered approach. The holistic plans include:
- prepared and connected communities
- resilient infrastructure
- adapted buildings, and
- protected shores.
Boston’s parks and urban tree canopy are a critical to the City’s layered approach to climate resilience. Expanding and maintaining open space and the urban forest can help:
- mitigate heat
- manage stormwater
- reduce air pollution, and
- provide many other benefits.
News and announcements
news
Related initiatives
Prepare for heat guide
Keep cool and healthy in the heat with these multilingual resources.
Cool off with Boston Centers for Youth & Families (BCYF) Aquatics
BCYF offers aquatics and cooling centers for residents who need to take a break from the heat.
Summer safety video tips
Check out this short video for important tips on summer heat safety.
