Climate Resiliency
Baltimore's historic buildings have weathered a lot of storms and changes in climate over their existence, but more can be done to increase their climate resiliency. Here are some resources to help you protect your historic home or business.
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Fells Point Flood Mitigation Guidelines
Many of Baltimore’s historic neighborhoods are vulnerable to flooding, particularly those close to waterfronts like Fells Point. Whether on the roads, sidewalks, or directly impacting buildings, flooding is becoming a more common problem across the City of Baltimore. The historic, attached rowhouse buildings of Fells Point are particularly vulnerable and pose a real challenge for owners seeking to minimize flood damage.
The information presented in these guidelines is intended to provide information to property owners and tenants on evaluating options to minimize the impact of flooding on their historic rowhouse properties. While they are geared toward properties in Fells Point, the recommendations can be applied to buildings all over the City. These guidelines should be considered a supplement to consultation with architects and engineers, the Baltimore Floodplain Regulations, the Baltimore Historic Preservation Design Guidelines, and the CHAP review process.
National Park Service Guidelines on Sustainability, Energy Efficiency, Resilience & Historic Buildings
The National Park Service has developed numerous guidelines, preservation briefs, case studies, and technical notes about sustainability measures in rehabilitation projects, improving energy efficiency through weatherization, solar panels, green roofs and more. There are also guidelines on making properties more resilient to natural hazards, and flood adaptation.
Baltimore Office of Sustainability's Climate Action Plan
In 2012, the City of Baltimore Office of Sustainability created the Climate Action Plan (CAP). This plan was designed to proactively reduce greenhouse gas emissions while simultaneously providing numerous economic, health, and social benefits for Baltimore’s residents, businesses, governments, and institutions. Utilizing the goals and strategies created in the CAP, the City of Baltimore is continually working to manage risks associated with climate change—protecting vulnerable populations and creating adaptation strategies for systems and infrastructure.
The Climate Action Plan Update was released in 2024 after extensive public outreach and engagement.