Photo credit: Sky Skipper Drones Climate -Ready Healthy Plymouth MUNICIPAL VULNERABILITY PREPAREDNESS JUNE 2020 Acknowledgements The project was conducted by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) in partnership with Old Colony Planning Council. Funding was provided by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Planning Grant. METROPOLITAN AREA PLANNING COUNCIL Officers President Erin Wortman Vice President Adam Chapdelaine Secretary Sandra Hackman Treasurer Sam Seidel Executive Director Marc D. Draisen Senior Environmental Planner Darci Schofield Public Health Planner II Jeanette Pantoja Town of Plymouth Town Manager Melissa Arrighi Planning Director Lee Hartmann STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBERS Lee Hartmann Planning and Development Laurie Muncy Principal Planner, OCPC Karen Keane Public Health Rich Vacca Conservation Jonathan Beder Public Works Henry Lipe Emergency Management David Gould Marine and Environmental Ken Tavares Board of Selectmen Birgitta Kuehn Board of Health Malcolm MacGregor Planning Board Gerre Hooker Conservation Commission Christopher Moore Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Plymouth Bill Keohan Community Preservation Dorie Stolley Community Member Judy Savage Community Member Evelyn Strawn Community Member Joanne Zygmunt Senior Planner, OCPC Table of Contents List of Figures ................................................................................................................................................. 2 List of Tables ................................................................................................................................................. 4 Acronyms ....................................................................................................................................................... 5 I. Introduction ................................................................................................................................................. 6 II. Climate Change: A New Paradigm ............................................................................................................ 9 2.1 Temperature ....................................................................................................................................... 9 2.2 Sea Level Rise .................................................................................................................................... 11 2.3 Precipitation ...................................................................................................................................... 13 III. Plymouth Public Health ............................................................................................................................ 15 3.1 Social Vulnerability in Plymouth ....................................................................................................... 16 3.2 Public Health Strengths ..................................................................................................................... 18 3.3 Public Health Challenges ................................................................................................................... 21 IV. Plymouth Climate and Health Vulnerability ............................................................................................ 23 4.1 Neighborhood and Built Environment ................................................................................................ 25 4.1.1 Critical Facilities ......................................................................................................................... 25 4.1.2 Utilities ....................................................................................................................................... 34 4.1.3 Transportation ........................................................................................................................... 40 4.1.4 Environmental Exposure ............................................................................................................ 47 4.2 Parks and Natural Areas .................................................................................................................... 62 4.2.1 Parks and Forests ....................................................................................................................... 62 4.2.2. Coastal Natural Areas ................................................................................................................ 73 4.2.3 Aquatic Natural Areas ................................................................................................................ 82 4.3 Housing ............................................................................................................................................. 86 4.3.1 Housing Stock ............................................................................................................................. 86 4.3.2 Housing Affordability ................................................................................................................. 87 4.3.3 Housing Vulnerability ................................................................................................................. 88 4.3.4 Housing Coastal Zone Vulnerability Matrix ................................................................................ 89 4.4 Economy and Employment ............................................................................................................... 95 4.4.1 Employment ............................................................................................................................... 97 4.4.2 Community Economy ................................................................................................................. 99 4.4.3 Municipal Economy .................................................................................................................. 101 4.5 Education ........................................................................................................................................ 105 4.6 Safety .............................................................................................................................................. 108 4.6.1 Climate Change and Violence .................................................................................................. 108 4.6.2 Climate Change and Repression .............................................................................................. 110 4.6.3 Climate Change and Mental Health ......................................................................................... 111 4.7 Community Cohesion ...................................................................................................................... 113 V. Public Engagement Analysis and Summary .......................................................................................... 115 VI. Climate Ready Healthy Plymouth Action Plan ..................................................................................... 127 5.1 Plymouth Top Priority Actions ........................................................................................................ 127 5.2 MVP Society and Public Health ....................................................................................................... 127 5.3 MVP Environment Actions .............................................................................................................. 128 5.4 MVP Infrastructure Actions ............................................................................................................ 129 5.5 Other Recommended Actions ......................................................................................................... 129 Appendix A Stormwater and Sewer Infrastructure Vulnerability ............................................................. 132 Appendix B MVP Workshop Summary of Findings ................................................................................... 135 Appendix C Public Engagement and Presentation Materials ................................................................... 137 Appendix D Core Team Meeting Documentation ..................................................................................... 140 Appendix E Public Comment on final Climate-Ready Healthy Plymouth Report ..................................... 148 1 List of Figures Figure 1 An illustration of how greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane cause the greenhouse effect and warming of the Earth. A graph of how increasing concentrations of carbon dioxide has contributed to an accelerated warming of the earth. ............................................................................ 10 Figure 2 Sea level rise over the last century as measured at Boston Tide Gage. ....................................... 12 Figure 3. Future Precipitation Projections for Design Storms. Source: Cambridge Climate Vulnerability Assessment. .................................................................................................................................................. 14 Figure 4 The Massachusetts Department of Public Health Social Determinants of Health as identified by the 2017 Massachusetts State Health Assessment. ............................................................................................. 15 Figure 5 Population growth in Plymouth according to population and housing demand projections completed by MAPC in 2014. ....................................................................................................................