Energy-efficient developments like Clippership Wharf in East Boston are achieving big sustainability and climate resiliency ambitions. They’re also being accused of making the area unaffordable for long-time residents. That is a problem. 

Green building projects increase efficiency and cut energy bills. Built more sustainably and with improved indoor air quality, green buildings improve human and environmental health. The catch? Most buildings in cities like Boston are in need of major sustainability investments. In Boston alone, more than 80% of existing housing needs energy retrofits. This is driving another concern: gentrification. 

Historically, gentrification has described the displacement of primarily low-income communities by new, more expensive developments that increase property values and attract wealthier residents. Today, green gentrification describes how sustainability-focused developments raise these same housing and equity concerns. 

That is why environmental advocates are concerned with Clippership Wharf in East Boston. The project is a ‘climate resiliency case study.’ It follows all of the guidelines of Climate Ready Boston (CRB), the city’s climate plan. Launched in 2016, Climate Ready Boston is helping Boston prepare for the extreme temperatures, precipitation, storm surges, and rising sea levels brought on by climate change. 

Clippership Wharf, completed 5 years after the program’s launch, meets all of CRB’s basic requirements: it is effective, feasible, adaptable, equitable, and socially and environmentally beneficial. The LEED-platinum housing development is a model of sustainability. It sits along a protected, natural shoreline and includes energy-efficient features. Despite these achievements, the luxury development has been accused of gentrifying East Boston. According to critics, Clippership Wharf is making the area more unaffordable and creating equity issues.  

Clippership Wharf, East Boston

Clippership was supposed to address equity issues too. Its developers, Lendlease, worked with Winn Development and the Boston Housing Authority to develop an adjacent site to meet the city’s affordable housing requirement. The development’s units are cheap and affordable. However, the development is minimally committed to supporting low-income residents. It includes 22 affordable rental units and 14 affordable condominiums. This isn’t even 10% of Clippership Wharf’s 478 units. 

We need to hold green development to higher equity standards. Checking the affordability box is not enough. Another Boston-based government program is determined to do just that. This September, the Mayor’s office launched a new program called The Healthy & Green Retrofit Pilot Program. Its aims are simple: “equity-first, multi-family housing electrification.”

The Healthy & Green Retrofit Pilot program is subsidizing retrofits for 10 lottery-chosen households. By starting small, Boston officials are hoping to work closely with community members to effectively meet their needs before scaling up. The new program will offer grants of forgivable 10-year loans to 2-4 unit buildings occupied by its owners. Supporting up to $50,000 in loans per unit, the program will also help with energy assessments and construction management. 

Using these resources, participating households can improve their home’s sustainability and resiliency. These improvements include insulation and ventilation upgrades, new appliances, air conditioning, and even solar panel installations. These things might sound boring, but they can have significant economic benefits by improving efficiency and reducing energy costs.

While a great initiative, Boston’s pilot program is tiny. President Biden’s 2022 Inflation Reduction Act is helping to finance similar programs by supporting sustainability and reducing energy costs on a much larger scale. The Weatherization Assistance Program, the Energy Efficiency Revolving Loan Fund Capitalization Grant Program, and the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program are just three programs supporting states’ ability to assist with sustainable and affordable housing.

Now more than ever, we should pay attention and advocate for programs that both support sustainability and the well-being of vulnerable communities. As Clippership Wharf has demonstrated, meeting the basic requirements is no longer enough. Whether small, local programs or national campaigns, green development needs to be held to higher standards. Green-housing equity is an essential part of all green transitions.