Boston is cooking up a plan to survive sea-level rise

Boston, the birthplace of American independence, may be largely underwater by the end of the century unless it takes proactive measures — and now it’s starting to do just that.

The bay-side city is filled with low-lying waterfront neighborhoods that could be regularly inundated by 2100, thanks to a projected four to seven feet of sea-level rise brought about by climate change. Preparing now is the way to make sure those areas — such as South Boston, Hollywood’s favorite setting for gangster movies — stay dry.

And so Mayor Marty Walsh has commissioned a team of experts, called Climate Ready Boston, to examine research on how sea-level rise and increased storm surges will threaten Boston and then propose resilience strategies such as new building codes. Like New York City, Boston will probably have to raise seawalls and elevate buildings in some areas, as well as investigate “passive” solutions such as permeable streets.

While they’re at it, Bostonians should think about how to prepare for more climate change–related extreme weather events like last winter’s record-breaking, transportation-disabling snowfall.