TO: CommonWealth Magazine, MassINC. Publisher RE: CORRECTIONS for the BPDA 3/31/2022 announcement to Commonwealth Magazine Boston. The Boston Planning & Development Agency announced on 3/31/22 that Boston was recently awarded in the Lee Kuan Yew Singapore private World City Competition. Boston, not the BPDA, received a ‘special mention’ in 2020.
There is no ”Award” for 2021, or 2022, therefore it is not “recent.” Keppel Offshore & Marine world energy industry conglomerate is the sole sponsor of the competition. Coincidentally, Boston was solicited in 2019 by Keppel for its strategic business goal of “Extending Presence in Key Growth Markets” which included Boston.
According to Keppel’s Pacific Oak Real Estate Investment Trust Subsidiary, Boston’s energy consumption increase was a reason for soliciting Boston business. Keppel determined in their 2019 marketing strategic report that Boston was a business market priority. The 2019 and 2020 Keppel “Land Sustainability Report” publications do not mention Boston once. Although Keppel practices U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), there is no recognition of Boston in SDG publication sections of the Keppel annual reports. The Keppel Real Estate Investment Trust created the competition for development and Boston was included in 2020 as a “Special Mention.” Keppel top awards went to Singapore high rise tower complexes where Keppel owns several skyscrapers. The Laureate of 2020 was Vienna.
The recently published BPDA announcement seems incomplete. The FEMA National Flood Insurance Program lists Boston’s sustainable development status as being in “retrograde” since 1997.
The goal to reduce disaster-related suffering costs in the Boston Harbor communities through insurance; mitigation of flood risks; and by leveraging advances in industry best practices and flood risk-modeling ensures NFIP effectiveness. Boston’s current lack of participation in the FEMA Community Rating System (CRS) leaves the public with no discounts for Special Flood Hazard Areas and makes communities vulnerable to other public safety and immense economic losses. Boston seems to be missing a requisite coordinator with the CRS. Boston should also establish a Boston Public Private Projects 281 North 7th Street Brooklyn, NY 11211 FloodWare.com(PPP) Oversight Committee in coordination with the CRS coordinator to achieve these vital benefits. Many Boston waterfront groups, alliances, and communities seek to work together with the BPDA towards healthy climate resilience, and addressing forecasted flood risk along the Boston Harbor shoreline.
The Boston waterfront communities are working diligently together with the BPDA to assure that Boston is now making significant progress by expanding green open space along the Boston Harbor public waterfront. Zachary Cutler zcutler@Pier5.org Socio-ecological Anthropologist Founder, FloodWare, Inc., Co-founder Pier5 Association, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Weather Ready Nation Ambassador, United Nations CEO Global Compact Sustainable Development Goals Steward, Association of State Floodplain Managers Regulations Committee, FEMA Resilient Nation Partnership Network, Flood Risk Footprint™ Analyst, Waterfront Alliance Sponsor. B.A. Bard College Socio-ecological Anthropology.
Sources: https://www.leekuanyewworldcityprize.gov.sg/boston/ https://www.leekuanyewworldcityprize.gov.sg/boston/#fnref:1 https://www.keppelreit.com/property-portfolio/ https://www.leekuanyewworldcityprize.gov.sg/