Speaker
Description
The relationship between improving environmental conditions and the displacement of residents has long been a subject of urbanism and spatial studies. However, this ongoing debate has recently gained renewed attention, particularly in the context of greening interventions in urban spaces. These interventions have led to the emergence of a new concept in the literature: “green gentrification”. Areas undergoing greening interventions often attract individuals with higher socioeconomic status, resulting in the displacement or exclusion of pre-existing residents.
The literature employs various terminologies to characterize gentrification within this context, including 'environmental gentrification,' 'ecological gentrification,' or 'eco-gentrification,' and 'green gentrification.' While 'environmental gentrification' represents the earliest term in this discourse, 'green gentrification' has emerged as the most widely adopted. Moreover, heightened concerns surrounding climate change and urban resilience have further expanded the conceptual framework, introducing terms such as 'climate gentrification,' 'carbon gentrification,' and 'resilience gentrification'.
The discourse on green gentrification can be divided into two main perspectives. The first views green gentrification as a subset of urban regeneration-led gentrification, where the phenomenon is either overlooked or intentionally encouraged as a result of aggressive urban interventions. The second perspective posits that the pursuit of environmental justice through public interventions inevitably intersects with the concept of greening. Regardless of the viewpoint, establishing the existence of this phenomenon requires comparative and/or measurable studies. Indeed, measuring or identifying green gentrification in geographies where it has occurred or may occur has become a central focus of numerous studies. Both qualitative methods and quantitative approaches—such as GIS-based analyses and advanced statistical techniques—are employed to assess the presence and impacts of green gentrification. Among these, regression-based statistical methods are the most prevalent.
We present a meta-analysis based on academic studies that examine green gentrification using regression-based approaches. To achieve this, we follow a systematic literature review guided by the PRISMA protocol. Through this analysis, we discuss the existence and magnitude of the phenomenon. We argue that efforts toward environmental justice and sustainability do not necessarily result in gentrification and that findings can vary on a case-by-case basis. In cases where the impacts of green gentrification are pronounced, we contend that decisions to develop urban infrastructures beyond green interventions—such as improvements in housing and transportation—also play a significant role. By framing green gentrification as an overarching concept, it can be considered that it encompasses not only environmental justice and neighborhood upgrading but also the broader impacts of climate change on urban mobility. This expanded perspective underscores the need for further research to better understand the complex interplay between greening interventions and urban transformation.
References
Anguelovski,I., etal (2022). Green gentrification in European and North American cities. Nature Communications, 13(1).
Gerrish, E., & Watkins, S.L. (2018). The relationship between urban forests and income A meta-analysis. Landscape and Urban Planning, 170, 293–308.
Gou, F., etal (2023). Visualizing the landscape of green gentrification A bibliometric analysis and future direction. Land, 12(8), 1484.
Jo Black,K., & Richards,M. (2020). Eco-gentrification and who benefits from urban green amenities NYC’s high Line. Landscape and Urban Planning, 204, 103900.
Mullenbach, L.E., etal (2021). Does public support of urban park development stem from gentrification beliefs and attitudes, Landscape and Urban Planning, 211, 104097.
Quinton,J. and Nesbitt,L. (2024). Different names for the same thing? A systematic review of green, environmental, eco-, ecological, climate, carbon, and resilience gentrification. Cities, 151, 105107.
Rigolon,A., & Németh,J. (2018). “We’re not in the business of housing” Environmental gentrification and the nonprofitization of green infrastructure projects. Cities. 81, 71-80.
Schusler,T.M, etal (2023). Experiences with environmental gentrification- Evidence from Chicago. Landscape and Urban Planning. 236, 104765.
Sharifi,F., etal (2021). Green gentrification or gentrified greening Metropolitan Melbourne. Land Use Policy, 108, 105577.
Stuhlmacker, etal (2022). The role of green space in chicago's gentrifcation. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 71,127569.
| Keywords | Green gentrification; environmental justice; displacement; meta-analysis |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | No |
