Navigating the Future: Barr’s Waterfront Initiative Sets Course for Next Phase

In 2023, Barr’s Waterfront Initiative entered its seventh year, prompting a reflection on progress and learning to date, and consideration of opportunities for our next phase. Since we launched this initiative, our mission has been: propelling partners and communities towards the creation of a Boston waterfront that is equitable, resilient, and accessible to all.

Boston’s waterfront is intrinsically linked to the city’s identity, economy, and growth and it follows that the needs of all communities, especially communities of color and immigrant communities that historically have had limited access to the waterfront, should be reflected in planning for its present and future uses.

Since we launched this initiative, our mission has been: propelling partners and communities towards the creation of a Boston waterfront that is equitable, resilient, and accessible to all.

Our early grantmaking focused on support for organizations with a history of waterfront advocacy and grassroots waterfront organizations that elevated the voice of diverse communities. We remain committed to supporting the work of our Waterfront Partners and have learned that addressing Boston Harbor’s new and existing challenges will require adopting a regional approach that advocates for holistic planning and policies that will allow Boston to move beyond its historic parcel-by-parcel development approach.

While much has evolved on the waterfront since 2017, we also recognize that much still needs to change to realize the harbor’s full potential. As the impacts of climate change on Boston’s communities of color intensify and inequities grow, we wanted to take this opportunity to realign the investments that we make to better support our partners in their work to advance systems-level change.

Moving forward, we remain committed to supporting our current partners. And we hope to catalyze efforts to inform and update policies and regulations, strengthen government agencies in preparation to implement regulatory changes, and continue to champion a people-centric waterfront that prioritizes addressing climate risks and centers Boston’s racial and socioeconomic equity crises.

We've honed in on four strategic priorities for Barr’s waterfront grantmaking:

1. Support efforts for a robust public process: We aspire to support a diversity of stakeholders to engage in regulatory reform and discussions to inform policy. Our aim is to ensure community voices are represented in shaping future policies affecting our waterfront – with a specific focus on elevating voices of community leaders and community advocates who have been historically left out of these conversations.

2. Support collaboration between public agencies: We aspire to support public agencies as they approach the work of updating regulations and policies to address present-day climate issues. By offering capacity building, technical assistance, and additional supports, we aim to inspire a shift toward greater equity in planning and decision-making throughout the City of Boston.

3. Support for strategic communications: We aspire to support strategic communications that educate stakeholders about the kind of meaningful updates needed to address the limits of current legal and regulatory frameworks (like Chapter 91 or Designated Port Areas) in addressing the many demands, needs, and opportunities of today’s waterfront to advance solutions and innovative ideas.

4. Support research, learning opportunities, and pilot projects: We aspire to foster bold new thinking about what is possible for exemplary waterfront cities through research, shared learning opportunities, and pilot projects that inspire innovative, equitable practices, and build the critical social capital necessary for transformational change to occur.

We remain deeply committed to our current partnerships, while seeking to engage in new collaborations with organizations focused on people-centric policy and regulatory reform along the waterfront.

We remain deeply committed to our current partnerships, while seeking to engage in new collaborations with organizations focused on people-centric policy and regulatory reform along the waterfront.

We commit to continuing to listen and learn from community as we move this new phase of the Initiative’s work forward to ensure we support a vision where all 47 miles of Boston’s waterfront are resilient, accessible, and equitable.

Published 03.12.2024