CZM Port and Harbor Planning Publications

Find summaries of and links to these publications developed by the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM).

CZM has produced and/or funded a variety of materials on port and harbor planning. See:

• Decisions on Municipal Harbor Plans (MHPs) and Designated Port Areas (DPAs) for links to copies of these decisions (including any renewals, amendments, and clarifications to the plans), and links to the MHPs and DPA Master Plans when available on municipal websites.
• Dredged Material Management Plan (DMMP) Technical Reports for a bibliography and links to these documents developed from 1998 through 2004 to help identify management solutions for dredged materials to facilitate channel dredging and port development while minimizing impacts to marine and cultural resources.
• Municipal Harbor Plans for details on CZM’s responsibilities in state-approved MHPs and DPA Master Plans, along with links to Local Harbor Planning Efforts that Are Not State-Approved MHPs.
• Designated Port Areas for CZM's efforts in DPA planning and implementation and links to official boundary maps of the 10 DPAs in Massachusetts. For a brief DPA overview, see Designated Port Area (DPA) Fact Sheet - Overview and Contact Information (PDF, 450 KB).
• Technical Assistance for how to get CZM assistance with harbor planning activities.
• Overview and Index for a full list of all components of the CZM Port and Harbor Planning Program.

Additional CZM port and harbor planning publications are listed below. Also see CZM Publications for the full list of materials published by CZM.

Technical Reports Prepared for CZM Related to Port and Harbor Planning

Note: Any views or opinions presented in papers prepared for CZM are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent those of the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management, the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, or the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Please see CZM’s website policies.

• Building Resilience in Massachusetts Designated Port Areas: Resilience for Water Dependent Industrial Users in the Chelsea Creek and Gloucester Inner Harbor Designated Port Areas (PDF, 28 MB) - This 2021 report developed by Arcadis, U.S., Inc., gives a detailed overview of current and future flood risks facing the Chelsea Creek and Gloucester Inner Harbor DPAs over the coming decades. It also provides tailored resilience strategies to help address flood risks while continuing to support the operational needs of water-dependent industrial users in DPAs, which must remain in vulnerable locations directly adjacent to the water to maintain operations.

Additional CZM Publications Related to Port and Harbor Planning

• Assessment of Massachusetts Designated Port Areas (PDF, 13 MB) - Released in July 2025 by CZM and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), this report, developed in conjunction with Eastern Research Group, Inc., assesses the economic impact and the effectiveness of the DPA program across five focal areas: infrastructure and land use, regulatory framework, funding and financing, community impacts, and coastal resilience —to understand strengths and current and emerging challenges and identify potential program improvements. This assessment also includes the review required by the Mass Leads Act (Ch. 238, § 295(c) of the Acts of 2024), which directed MassDEP, in consultation with CZM, to “complete a review of existing designated port area criteria and use restrictions.” For detailed technical information developed as part of the report, along with a summary of the extensive stakeholder engagement efforts, see Assessment of Massachusetts Designated Port Areas - APPENDICES (PDF, 4 MB).
• Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management Policy Guide - October 2011 - The Policy Guide is the official statement of Massachusetts coastal program policies and legal authorities and includes the policies that govern CZM’s Port and Harbor Planning Program and project review efforts.
• Gloucester Harbor Characterization: Environmental History, Human Influences, and Status of Marine Resources (PDF, 1 MB) - This 2004 document describes human and natural resources of Gloucester Harbor, one of Massachusetts's oldest and productive harbors. It examines and describes the environmental history of development and human influences, characterizes current understanding of environmental quality, examines lobster fishing and lobster population structure, investigates fish community structure, and describes seafloor habitat.
• Coastlines 2003 - This edition of CZM’s magazine, which was published in 2003, focuses on ports and harbors, with articles on the port of Boston, the other major ports in Massachusetts, Designated Port Areas, shipping, and related issues.
• Urban Marine Habitats—Spotlight on Gloucester Harbor - This article on page 31 of the winter 2004/2005 Coastlines (PDF, 38 MB) discusses the marine life and habitats of Gloucester Harbor.