Thinking of Boston’s Climate Initiative and its Heat Plan we directed our eyes to our local Chinatown neighborhood just a few blocks from our office. We have multiple team members living in Chinatown and our team focused on how to improve the neighborhood to both fight heat island effect as well incorporate other sustainable initiatives for regenerative growth and healing in existing infrastructure. We reimagine green roofs throughout Chinatown which would both reduce heat island effect as well as promote our local ecosystems including the migratory needs of pollinating insects. We also imagined a Chinatown with more solar panels for clean energy source for the neighborhood. We reimagined the main street of Chinatown becoming a pedestrian way with outdoor seating for local restaurants, stands for pop-up artists and more seating and greenery for the community. Incorporated into this pedestrian way would be a horizontal geothermal wellfield for additional energy source for the community.

Our favorite part about our Reimagined Chinatown for Regenerative Healing is that we focused on existing conditions that could be improved for healing in the built environment within communities by residents. Our team members want to encourage residents to seize opportunities to add Respite, Recreation, and renewable energy solutions while healing the environment with resilient solutions like green roofs and solar panels as a community effort.

Local communities taking an active part to combat climate change is in the spirit of the BSA Gingerbread Competition. We look forward to local, cultural adaptations for combating climate change.

A Re-imagined Chinatown for Regenerative Healing