Resilient Together: The Point
Resilient Together: The Point
Resilient Together: The Point
Phase 2 currently ongoing
WHAT IS RESILIENT TOGETHER AND RESILIENT TOGETHER: THE POINT?
Resilient Together was a joint planning effort by the cities of Beverly and Salem (July 2020 - June 2021)
to identify opportunities for collective action to tackle the climate crisis. This effort resulted in a
Climate Action and Resilience Plan
Resilient Together: The Point is a neighborhood-specific “next-step” that emerged after the joint planning
effort concluded in June 2021. El Punto was identified as a high-priority neighborhood because of
its physical and social vulnerabilities.
WHAT HAPPENED DURING THE PLANNING PHASE OF RESILIENT TOGETHER: THE POINT?
The City of Salem hired a consultant team to develop a model of current and future climate risks and
identify solutions for the area to adapt to and mitigate these risks.
The City of Salem also engaged in a Community Outreach Campaign to better understand social and physical
vulnerabilities from the perspective of those living in The Point neighborhood.
The Resilient Together: The Point Final Report (2022) includes a set of recommendations the City of Salem can
take to support resilience in The Point neighborhood.
WHAT HAPPENED/IS HAPPENING DURING THE IMPLEMENTATION PHASE OF RESILIENT TOGETHER: THE POINT?
The City of Salem helped bring together two community groups, the Climate Resilience Leadership Council (CRLC)
and Community-Based Participatory Action Research (PAR) Team to achieve the following objectives:
- Design participatory research projects and skills to support community resilience initiatives
- Generate resources to build climate impact awareness with The Point neighborhood
in ways that are meaningful and practical to its residents.
Supported disaster preparedness in the neighborhood through culturally relevant engagement
and resources, including two workshops and distributing over 130 emergency kits to Point residents.
Developed a 75% level design for a long-term flood mitigation structure for the Palmer Cove Park area in
The Point neighborhood.
The Resilient Together: The Point Final Report (2024) provides an overview of collaborative governance activities
from this project, as well as recommendations to improve community engagement and advance work started by residents.
The Point, “El Punto,” is a vibrant neighborhood with strong assets,
including social relationships, cultural identity, community organizations, locally-owned
businesses, and affordable housing.
It is also an Environmental Justice community. Residents of the Point generally have less socio-economic advantage
than other Salem residents. Community members are more vulnerable to disasters, disease outbreaks, and economic
recessions. They face greater dangers to health and economic wellbeing. Because of the socio-economic disadvantages,
it is more difficult to cope and recover from these impacts.
Members of the community have identified the following priorities for improving The Point:
The City of Salem and its community partners have focused on these priorities over the past decade. They've worked
on building and renovating affordable housing, investing in small businesses and training workers, expanding social services,
creating and improving public parks, cleaning streets, planting trees, and improving sidewalks and lighting.
The City has identified Climate Change as a major risk for Salem and The Point neighborhood.
The City of Salem values the Point neighborhood and is committed to keeping it a safe, thriving, affordable, and livable place for all residents, visitors, and workers. Regardless of levels of education, income, employment, and population, the need for everyone to live in a safe community that is protected from extreme weather, such as flooding and extreme heat, is important. Climate change threatens to set back progress already made in The Point. It will also make long-term improvements more difficult if action is not taken immediately.
The City prioritized planning in the Point for the following reasons:
- The Point is already at risk from flooding and extreme heat
- Climate change will make these hazards more frequent and severe
- Flooding and extreme heat impact people's health, finances, housing, infrastructure, and environment
- Environmental Justice communities are usually the most affected
- The Point has unique assets that provide a strong foundation for building resilience
- There are opportunities for public and private investment in the Point
- There is an opportunity to develop community-based solutions with strong public participation.
