Last Wednesday Boston Harbor Now and Piers Park Sailing Center Executive Director Alex DeFronzo led a tour of East Boston as part of Boston Harbor Now’s Boston Harbor for All symposium.
The group led by Boston Harbor Now and DeFronzo included climate experts, residents, longtime advocates, and property owners. The group spent the morning and early afternoon exploring Eastie’s newer parks and developments and talked with people working on waterfront issues like the climate vulnerabilities of the area
“The East Boston Waterfront Tour on Boston Harbor Now’s Harbor for All event was a great one to plan because there is so much happening on the East Boston Waterfront,” said DeFronzo. “We were lucky to have representatives from many local community organizations, from Massport, our State Rep. Adrian Madaro, and NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver join the tour and provide insight.”
The group learned about how the waterfront has changed, points of public access, and the importance of designing parks for the communities that will use them.
“East Boston is rich with maritime history and we are lucky to now have a waterfront that is accessible and open for our neighborhood to enjoy,” said DeFronzo. “Rep. Madaro highlighted how much things have improved along the waterfront for people of all ages in East Boston.”
In addition to the tour a symposium featured a keynote address by NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver, as well as three afternoon panels on open spaces, climate resiliency, and managing change on the waterfront.
“I was honored to get to lead the waterfront tour, I was an early beneficiary of the revitalization of the Eastie Waterfront as a child at Piers Park,” said DeFronzo. “NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver emphasized value of equity in locating and designing parks. That stuck with me, the importance of a system of parks that all families can enjoy.”