Green gentrification

In order to adapt to climate change and its impacts, green spaces are being created in cities, resulting in gentrified areas with rising land values and housing prices. This so-called ‘green space paradox’ has exacerbated the marginalisation and displacement of vulnerable communities who can no longer afford to live in these neighbourhoods.

Nº 9

1) Spain, Barcelona

2) United States, Atlanta

3) United States, New York, Brooklin

4) United States, Philadelphia

  • Climate & Atmosphere
  • Climate Change Adaption
  • Building Green Infrastructure
some attempts made
past case
Region-1
Region-2
Region-3
Region-4
ongoing case
no attempts made

None

Green gentrification

In order to adapt to climate change and its impacts, green spaces are being created in cities, resulting in gentrified areas with rising land values and housing prices. This so-called ‘green space paradox’ has exacerbated the marginalisation and displacement of vulnerable communities who can no longer afford to live in these neighbourhoods.

1) In Barcelona, the introduction of more urban green elements has resulted in green gentrification, mainly in relation to parks located in more desirable neighborhoods.

2) It has been observed that the environmental amenities provided by the Atlanta Beltline project lead to significant increases in land and housing costs (17.9-26.6%) in areas close to these amenities. This reduces the affordability of housing in these desirable areas and excludes certain socio-economic groups, resulting in a more gentrified city

3) The cleaning and greening of the former industrial waterfront in Brooklyn has led to the gentrification of the area, making it accessible only to the well-educated and affluent. The housing market reinforces the class-based distribution of environmental goods and bads.

4) Green resilient infrastructure in Philadelphia favours the more privileged. Projects are both more likely to overlook areas with vulnerable populations and exclude the underprivileged from areas where interventions take place. This increases social risk for more vulnerable populations.

  • Frustrated the efforts to address the initial problem
  • Multilple (effects disconected from each other)

1) Anguelovski I., Connolly J. T., Masip L., Pearsall H. (2018). Assessing green gentrification in historically disenfranchised neighborhoods: a longitudinal and spatial analysis of Barcelona. Urban Geography, 39:3, 458-491, DOI: 10.1080/02723638.2017.1349987

2) Immergluck, D., & Balan, T. (2018). Sustainable for whom? Green urban development, environmental gentrification, and the Atlanta Beltline. Urban Geography, 39(4), 546–562. https://doi.org/10.1080/02723638.2017.1360041

3) Gould, K. A. & Lewis, T. L. (2018). From green gentrification to resilience gentrification: an example from Brooklyn. City Commun. 17, 12–15. 

4) Shokry, G., Connolly, J. J. & Anguelovski, I. (2020). Understanding climate gentrification and shifting landscapes of protection and vulnerability in green resilient Philadelphia. Urban Clim. 31, 100539.

Anguelovski, I., Connolly, J.J.T., Cole, H. et al. Green gentrification in European and North American cities. Nat Commun 13, 3816 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-31572-1

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