What Waltham Does When the Water Rises: Rachel McKane and Danielle Jacques (JP)

What Waltham Does When the Water Rises: Rachel McKane and Danielle Jacques (JP)

From New Books in Public Policy by New Books Network

May 7, 2026 · 38 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the impacts of climate change in Waltham and features a research project on building collective resilience.

Permafrost melts, desert cities boil, inland lakes dry up; but Waltham too in its own way has become one of the dark places of the earth. Adverse manmade climate change is seeping into basements everywhere, and a wonderful new research project, “Building Collective Resilience via Collective Memory” (that website launches very soon) counts some of the ways. John is joined by two Brandeis colleagues who spearheaded the project and supplied some of the local interviews that bring climate change dynamics vividly to life. Danielle Jacques is at work on a dissertation exploring the social and spatial dynamics of the renewable energy transition. Rachel McKane is Assistant Professor of Sociology with interests in community-based approaches to environmental justice through networks of solidarity and mutual aid, and articles in such journals as Environmental Research Letters, Environmental Justice, Environmental Sociology, and Local Environment. We also hear from Mark and from Colleen (about peaches!) in this episode. Mentioned in the episode Follow the project's growth at Building Collective Resilience via Collective Memory. Or read about its origins in a local newspaper story here. John…

People in this episode

Guests: Rachel McKane, Danielle Jacques

Topics covered

  • climate change
  • environmental justice
  • community resilience
  • renewable energy
  • social dynamics

Keywords

  • climate change
  • Waltham
  • renewable energy
  • environmental justice
  • community resilience
  • interviews

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Brandeis, Building Collective Resilience via Collective Memory, New Books Network

Books & works: Environmental Research Letters, Environmental Justice, Environmental Sociology, Local Environment, Gardens of Hope

Places: Waltham, London

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