Urban greening, while often disguised as a net win, low-impact strategy, is, at its core, another form of urban development, such as infill, downtown revitalization, and casino tourism. However, due to the cover of greening, these new developments occur with smaller resistance. Therefore, urban greening can lead to gentrification. Gentrification creates many social injustices, such as disrupting spatial claims. The Design Studio for Social Intervention explains that marginalized communities can be denied the right to be because of urban development. Also, new developments lead to higher property values, which can impact members of the surrounding community, increasing rent to an unaffordable level.
The negative effects of urban greening are prevalent but, historically, not often discussed. This is because those who are the most affected come from marginalized communities and usually lack the consideration of white and elite developers or scholars. While increasing green infrastructure in our urban environment has the chance to provide greater access to green space, it can also lead to direct displacement and increased cost of living and housing (Wolch et al., 2014). The most well-known example of green gentrification is the Highline Park in New York City. The once dilapidated elevated rail line was transformed into a 1.45-mile linear park that draws over 8 million visitors per year. While this park brought green space to a declining area, it also brought tourists. The renewed interest in this area encouraged the development of luxury apartments and stores. This area has been completely transformed over the past decade, increasing property values and pushing out long-term residents (Checker, 2020).
My thesis includes a case study on Euclid Beach Park in Cleveland. The park plans to expand its size and add 26 acres of public green space. To achieve this, developers purchased the Euclid Beach Mobile Home Community, an adjacent mobile home park filled with low-income households (Gilbert, 2023). These tenants were forced to move out, leaving them with the hardship of finding a new place to live. For my research, I will interview former residents of the park and members of the surrounding community to document and understand the experiences of those who have lost their homes due to urban greening. This research will highlight the underrepresented perspectives of urban development.
As I prepare for these upcoming interviews, I am developing a list of questions. From the content of this course, I have started to consider questions about home and place. I am curious how displaced residents view home, as they have been forced out of the previous residence. I am also curious what their interaction with the space will be after the park is finished. In the future, will they visit the park to relive past memories, or will they stay away to not recall hardships? I think it is important to document this information because it is often overlooked in development and policy. Too often, governing bodies are focused on numbers and statistics. By documenting personal accounts and impacts of development, I am adding to the body of literature that supports individuals’ experiences in urban spaces.
What questions would you ask someone who has been displaced due to urban greening?
References
Checker, M. (2020). The sustainability myth: Environmental gentrification and the politics of justice. New York University Press.
DS+R. (n.d.). The High Line. Diller Scofidio + Renfro. Retrieved [today's date], from https://dsrny.com/project/the-high-line
Gilbert, K. (2023, October 31). Residents start to leave Euclid Beach Mobile Home Park. News 5 Cleveland. from https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/local-news/we-follow-through/residents-start-to-leave-euclid-beach-mobile-home-park
Wolch J., Byrne J., and Newell J. (2014). Urban green space, public health, and environmental justice: The challenge of making cities ‘just green enough.’ Landscape and Urban Planning 125(C): 234–244.
Hi Sean,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post. It is well laid out and very easy to connect the issues of gentrification with homelessness and spatial injustice. Your post reminded me of gentrification in Lagos Nigeria, like many other global cities, these issues are also a complex issue with far-reaching consequences.
It involves the influx of wealthier residents into historically marginalized neighborhoods, often leading to the displacement of long-time inhabitants. This process has significantly altered the character of a neighborhood, leading to increased property values, changes in the local economy, and the erosion of social and cultural traditions.
Gentrification in Lagos has contributed to spatial injustice by exacerbating existing inequalities.
As low-income residents are forced to relocate, they often end up in less desirable areas with fewer opportunities. This has led to increased homelessness, as individuals and families struggle to find affordable housing. In Lekki area of Lagos state, there are increased number of unhoused population and slum dwellers due to the urbanization activity that has grown to 40% since Nigerian Independence to 2010 (Nwanna. C, 2022). More structured housing estates were erected with beautiful green spaces were built within urban estates to house the elites in Lekki while the indigenous people struggle with issues of inequality and inability to access basic amenities.
If I am to ask a resident of Lekki who was displaced due to urban gentrification, I would ask these questions:
1.Did you receive any assistance in relocating, such as relocation payments or help finding a new home?
2.How has the displacement impacted your social connections and sense of community?
Source:
Nwanna C. Gentrification in Nigeria: the case of two housing estates in Lagos. In: Lees L, Shin HB, López-Morales E, eds. Global Gentrifications: Uneven Development and Displacement. Bristol University Press; 2015:311-328.
Hi Sean,
ReplyDeleteYou’ve raised an incredibly important issue—green gentrification. It's easy to overlook the ways that urban greening can actually harm communities rather than help them. Green gentrification happens when greening projects, like parks or gardens, increase property values and push out low-income residents. This issue is gaining more attention globally as cities face tough questions about balancing environmental initiatives with social justice. For example, in Dhaka's Korail slum, plans to "green" the area overlooks the crucial social ties that connect residents to the urban core (Sultana et al., 2020). Projects like these often promise to enhance local spaces but end up benefiting wealthier residents while leaving vulnerable communities even more marginalized. Cleveland’s Euclid Beach Park project shows similar patterns, where low-income residents were forced to move to make way for green expansion.
Interview questions for displaced individuals should go beyond simple experiences of displacement to understand the deeper connections residents hold with their neighborhoods. For instance, asking, "How has this displacement impacted your sense of home?" or "Would you visit the newly developed green space, and why or why not?" can reveal how people perceive and interact with areas reshaped by urban greening. Documenting such perspectives can provide essential insights for policies that consider not just environmental goals but also the rights and voices of those who live and work in these spaces.
Reference:
Sultana, Razia, Thomas Birtchnell, and Nicholas Gill. "Urban greening and mobility justice in Dhaka’s informal settlements." Mobilities 15, no. 2 (2020): 273-289.
Hi Sean! I loved reading your post and hearing about your thesis! I really liked how you chose to incorporate questions about the perception of the space in a qualitative style!
ReplyDeleteI am from Logan, Ohio; commonly known as Hocking Hills. We get A LOT of tourism because of the caves and hiking trails. As you mentioned, this tourism can lead to gentrification. I have seen this happen to my home over the years. Property taxes and rent are increasing and forcing out locals that have lived in the area for generations. With the tourism, Logan has added more amenities to its downtown area to draw in even more tourists. Although, no one has been bought out of a home (that I am aware of) a lot of local residents resent the tourism because it has sparked gentrification. I feel like rural gentrification is not discussed as heavily as urban gentrification, yet it is just as prevalent.
As for greening as a form of gentrification, it is a fine line. Adding greenery and amenities to any area is often desired; you just have to be careful about how you do it. There is a concept of making cities “just green enough” that was discussed in the Just and Sustainable City taught by Dr. Perkins. There is an article about this and it discusses greening alleys and other small scale projects. The article is “Urban green space, public health, and environmental justice: The challenge of making cities ‘just green enough’” by Wolch et. al. 2014 if you are interested.
Hi Sean,
ReplyDeleteWe've talked a little about your thesis before, but it was nice to hear more about it and see it related to class content! I know green gentrification is a topic a lot of the ES majors are interested in because it's just such a pressing issue and there isn't an easy solution. As I've discovered a love for urban design and considered going into (green) urban planning, it's something that has made me seriously afraid to pursue that career path. It feels as if there is a huge divide between those who promote 'urban sustainability'/urban greening and those who are concerned about gentrification, and there is little actual acknowledgement of gentrification from the former. Obviously I don't know what the solution is! But it's really great that you're taking care to document people's actual experiences with the issue as, like you said, many focus on numbers and statistics. It reminds me of some of our class discussions/readings about experiences with homelessness-- that we rarely focus on the emotions and feelings of belonging and home and comfort of homeless people, and rather focus only on providing shelter and necessities. The work you're doing is really necessary in highlighting how awful and destructive and isolating (green) gentrification is.