Barriers at the Beach | GBH

Barriers at the Beach

The commonwealth boasts about 1,400 miles of coastline, but only about 12 percent is open to all members of the public. Municipalities control more than a third of the beaches, where restrictive access and parking permits lock down use almost exclusively for town residents. Many of these towns receive taxpayer money to protect their vital resource from the impacts of climate change. Critics say this puts taxpayers on the hook for maintaining a natural resource that is often off-limits to them. Meanwhile, some public beaches in coastal cities are prone to pollution that triggers government warnings against swimming. Public beaches in Dorchester, Quincy and Lynn were each closed to bathers more than a dozen days in 2020. As state lawmakers and advocates push for radical changes to these problems, we turn our attention to the shifting sands of Massachusetts' beach policies.

Follow the series below from the GBH News Center for Investigative Reporting. E-mail the team at investigations@wgbh.org.

More from 'Barriers at the beach'

On NPR: Coastal towns are making it more difficult for the public to get to the shore

New coastal development and higher temperatures mean more people are vying for a spot along the nation's beaches, just as coastal erosion swallows up precious swatches of sand.
On NPR: Historic racism creates barriers to beach access in towns across the country

Residents-only policies at many of the nation's town-owned beaches mean low-income people and people of color have less access to the shore.
GBH News YouTube: State and town rules limit access to Massachusetts shoreline

Massachusetts should be a beach lover’s paradise, but access to the state’s shores is deeply uneven. Entry to most beaches is dependent on personal wealth, your home zip code and a shrinking allotment of “visitor” parking spaces clustered far from the water and a system of parking restrictions aimed at out-of-towners.

State commission pushes for expanding access to state beaches in Boston area

New report focuses on welcoming people with disabilities and non-English speakers, as well as people of color

Local News

Barriers at the Beach