In tough economic times, there are those who think that municipalities need to be less particular about growth in order to be more “business friendly,” especially for issues felt to be far off in the future, like sea level rise.
But Portland, Maine is choosing to address sea level rise head-on, and at least one councilman thinks it’s going to help draw businesses into the city.
From an article in Maine’s Business News Source:
“By raising the issue of sea level now and ways to respond to it, we’re not in a panic situation,” [Ed Suslovic] says. “We have the time to study it. . . Responding to sea-level rise will not scare people away, but will make Portland, if we can get ahead of this, more attractive to developers,” he says. “We can say, if you invest in our city, we will take the risks away from rising sea levels.”