There are two levers for acting on climate change: reducing our GHG emissions and adapting to unavoidable changes. Our Climate & Energy Plan identifies opportunities to reduce GHGs, while enhancing our community’s resilience to those climate hazards we are already experiencing.
Watertown is committed to taking action on climate change while preserving and strengthening our unique neighborhoods, natural resources, and diverse communities. Resilient Watertown, our Climate & Energy Plan, outlines 8 goals, 16 strategies, and 61 priority actions to ensure Watertown is on a path to a net zero, resilient future.
Timeframe Key: Short (<1 year), Medium (1-3 years), Long (3-5 years)
| Action | Description | Timeline | Status |
BE 1.1 | Expand and strengthen the existing rooftop building solar ordinance | Medium | |
BE 1.2 | Investigate implementing commercial PACE and other innovative financing programs | Medium | |
BE 1.3 | Develop and implement a targeted outreach campaign focused on recruiting for Watertown Electricity Choice program and installing rooftop solar on homes and businesses | Short |
| Action | Description | Timeline | Status |
BE 2.1 | Adopt the State’s Net Zero Stretch Code as soon as permissible | Medium | |
BE 2.2 | Enact fees for residential gas hookups to promote electrification | Medium | |
BE 2.3 | Promote workforce development and training programs for net zero construction | Medium | |
BE 2.4 | Work with municipalities in the region to eliminate fossil fuels (e.g., identifying mechanisms like home rule petition) | Long | |
BE 2.5 | Include the use of Whole Building LCA as a condition for granting permits for applicable developments and work towards setting progressively tighter standards | Medium |
| Action | Description | Timeline | Status |
BE 3.1 | Investigate and support development of geo-microgrid pilot programs | Long | |
BE 3.2 | Develop and implement a targeted outreach campaign focused on promoting heat pumps for residential homes on oil heat and natural gas (e.g., zero-interest loans for heat pumps) | Medium | |
BE 3.3 | Incentivize the transition to heat pumps through HEAT Smart or other programs | Short |
| Action | Description | Timeline | Status |
BE 4.1 | Enact a Building Energy Use Disclosure Ordinance | Medium | |
BE 4.2 | Provide technical assistance for clean energy, energy efficiency, and financing activities (e.g., home energy guidance, collaborating on retrofits of Watertown Housing Authority properties) | Medium | |
BE 4.3 | Upgrade major existing municipal facilities to achieve net zero energy performance | Long | |
BE 4.4 | Develop a bulk procurement and purchasing program to support smaller commercial properties with deep energy retrofits | Medium | |
BE 4.5 | Incentivize large grocery stores and buildings with significant refrigeration to get certified in EPA Green Chill program to reduce HFCs | Short |
| Action | Description | Timeline | Status |
TM 1.1 | Install well-shaded bike and pedestrian-only infrastructure for protected and off-street connections in densely developed areas and areas of high traffic volume | Medium | |
TM 1.2 | Collaborate regionally to increase and improve safe, interconnected pathways for bicyclists and pedestrians | Medium | |
TM 1.3 | Increase use of transit, bike, and pedestrian travel through outreach, incentives, and policy changes (e.g., decreasing zoning requirements for parking, traffic calming, safe routes to schools) | Long | |
TM 1.4 | Work with MBTA to improve accessibility of routes, stops, and CharlieCard purchasing stations within Watertown, and electrification of the bus fleet | Long | |
TM 1.5 | Implement bus prioritization projects such as dedicated lanes and signal priority | Medium | |
TM 1.6 | Develop an integrated, publicly accessible electric transit system that connects to MBTA and other points of interest not accessible by MBTA (e.g., expanding and/or promoting WTMA) | Long |
| Action | Description | Timeline | Status |
TM 2.1 | Develop and implement an EV Roadmap for Watertown | Short | |
TM 2.2 | Transition City owned, leased, and contracted vehicles to electric, including school bus, garbage truck, and maintenance fleets | Long | |
TM 2.3 | Support the development of Multi-Use Parking Arrangements to develop EV charging at places of worship and other organizations with large parking lots in residential neighborhoods | Medium | |
TM 2.4 | Develop an outreach and incentive campaign to those with a vehicle over 10 years old to promote and incentivize EV purchase | Medium | |
TM 2.5 | Increase the availability of charging stations on municipal property | Medium | |
TM 2.6 | Incentivize homeowners and landlords to install EV chargers | Long |
| Action | Description | Timeline | Status |
NR 1.1 | Incorporate pocket parks into all neighborhoods lacking green space | Long | |
NR 1.2 | Promote biodiversity improvements to existing and new parks and open space | Medium | |
NR 1.3 | Acquire more open space, where possible, and create more open space on private property | Long | |
NR 1.4 | Establish natural-habitat corridors along water bodies, trails, and utility easement areas, and protect existing ones | Medium |
| Action | Description | Timeline | Status |
NR 2.1 | Establish an enforceable tree ordinance focused on preservation, diversification, and equitable distribution of tree canopy on public and private property | Short | |
NR 2.2 | Establish a community outreach program to increase awareness and appreciation of the importance of the urban forest in mitigating climate change impacts | Medium | |
NR 2.3 | Substantially increase annual street and municipal tree plantings and prioritize tree plantings in neighborhoods at high risk for urban heat impacts | Medium |
| Action | Description | Timeline | Status |
NR 3.1 | Develop a nature-based landscaping education and outreach plan with expanded opportunities for resident involvement (e.g., “Leave the Leaves” campaign) | Medium | |
NR 3.2 | Utilize school gardens and community gardens as nature-based landscaping demonstration sites | Medium | |
NR 3.3 | Update current development regulations to require the use of appropriate native plants for new- and re-development and de-emphasize non-native lawn spaces | Short |
| Action | Description | Timeline | Status |
NR 4.1 | Expand and accelerate existing Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) policies and management programs for public projects | Medium | |
NR 4.2 | Promote and/or incentivize the incorporation of green stormwater infrastructure into existing large impervious areas | Long | |
NR 4.3 | Enhance incentives and ongoing education related to individual actions such as rain barrels, planting strips, and depaving private residential properties | Medium |
| Action | Description | Timeline | Status |
IW 1.1 | Create a bulk purchasing network for compostable and environmentally friendly goods among the commercial and industrial sectors | Medium | |
IW 1.2 | Design and implement an education and outreach campaign focused on reducing waste sent to the incinerator and the impacts of our current consumption-waste patterns, particularly single use plastics | Medium | |
IW 1.3 | Create an organics recycling programs for Watertown | Short | |
IW 1.4 | Establish an Environmentally Preferrable Purchasing policy (EPP) that focuses on reducing consumption, particularly of single use items within municipal government | Short | |
IW 1.5 | Investigate opportunities to pursue a circular economy in Watertown or within the Metro Boston region (e.g., plastic item ban, grey water recycling, pay-per-bag program, additions to recyclable items) | Medium |
| Action | Description | Timeline | Status |
IW 2.1 | Require that all major new infrastructure and upgrades incorporate resilient design guidelines, such as Envision™, that take climate impacts into account over the lifespan of the infrastructure | Medium | |
IW 2.2 | Review and enhance current infrastructure maintenance systems and protocols to align with the needs of a changing climate | Medium | |
IW 2.3 | Advocate with partners for the safe removal of the Watertown Dam | Long | |
IW 2.4 | Investigate local back-up power, microgrid, and battery options in coordination with utilities | Medium |
| Action | Description | Timeline | Status |
PH 1.1 | Launch a climate preparedness educational campaign | Short | |
PH 1.2 | Actively recruit volunteers to participate in the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program | Short |
| Action | Description | Timeline | Status |
PH 2.1 | Complete a Climate Change and Health Vulnerability Assessment and develop Adaptation Guidelines (including issues like vector borne disease, pests, mental health) | Medium | |
PH 2.2 | Mitigate existing and prevent new urban heat islands in Watertown | Medium | |
PH 2.3 | Continue to enhance access to local food by expanding resources for food pantries, community gardens, and the Farmer’s Market for those who are food insecure | Medium |
| Action | Description | Timeline | Status |
PH 3.1 | Identify and reduce structural barriers (e.g., internet access, language, and cultural barriers, cognitive and/or physical disabilities, social isolation, access to services and emergency information) that prevent individuals and neighborhoods from taking care of themselves during and after extreme weather | Medium | |
PH 3.2 | Require all commercial building owners to rebroadcast and post Watertown Alert announcements to building occupants in English and Spanish | Medium | |
PH 3.3 | Launch a “Sign Up” campaign to ensure equitable access to communication resources | Short | |
PH 3.4 | Enhance emergency preparedness information on City website | Short |
| Action | Description | Timeline | Status |
PH 4.1 | Establish a network of resilience hubs that provide resources (e.g., cooling, phone-charging, pantry) throughout the community | Medium | |
PH 4.2 | Enhance the existing Live Well Watertown coalition and its programs to incorporate neighborhood connections to nature and to each other | Medium |
As we implement the actions in our Climate & Energy Plan, it's important that we pursue measures to enable successful implementation, including by enhancing coordination and capacity. Doing so will help create linkages across the 5 Plan Elements and achieve multiple goals at once. The City is committed to pursuing these 5 cross-cutting strategies to achieve synergies across multiple goals and enable successful implementation of all strategies and actions.
Watertown is where things get made. Here, generations of industry flourish beside new technologies and a growing diversity of cultures. As a changing climate and shifting economy threaten to disrupt the place we call home, Resilient Watertown is how we will chart the course to a sustainable future together.
Watch the Resilient Watertown Video!
The century ahead promises to challenge every one of us, but Watertown has proven time and again that we have what it takes to keep people safe, happy, and strong. Please join us in developing a Plan that meets all of Watertown’s needs, now and into the future.
