Green but Not for All

Urban Greenification

Green infrastructure (GI) is an increasingly popular method to reduce the negative environmental impact of the urban status quo. GI integrates natural components into the urban setting, including bike trails, parks, and climate-resilient infrastructure. For example, permeable pavements and green roofs facilitate water absorption which minimizes the risk of floods. This allows us to lessen the polluting effects of urbanization despite the presence of permanent urban infrastructure. GI also presents direct economic benefits to the individual: in particular, by shifting the preexisting framework of the urban landscape to one that is more environmentally friendly, global warming can be alleviated; as a result, high energy consumption via air conditioning and other artificial cooling methods will become unnecessary, reducing energy costs. Thus, green infrastructure provides enormous potential to decrease the destructive environmental consequences of urbanization, presenting both environmental and economic incentives.

It Doesn’t Work

GI seems great in theory but in practice? Not so much, especially for marginalized communities. Environmentally beneficial infrastructure is often implemented in areas that have relatively wealthy residents, as there is normally more funding for efforts to improve environmental health and aesthetics. As a result, urban planners sometimes specifically incorporate GI in less affluent localities to combat this problem. While this is done with good intentions, aiming to make disadvantaged communities healthier and happier via more access to green spaces, it increases property value. Features like parks, trails, and other natural elements improve morale and productivity, thus becoming highly desirable features near one’s home. This occurs especially in areas where there is not already substantial green infrastructure.

This phenomenon is known as green gentrification: the implementation of GI, including natural parks, bike trails, and greenways, in underprivileged communities increases property value and investment, attracting wealthier residents from other communities and making the area unaffordable for those who live there. Additionally, the maintenance of such infrastructure is often accompanied by an increase in taxes, which is not feasible for the community’s residents. Consequently, less privileged individuals (who are disproportionately people of color) are displaced from where they used to live.

Case Studies

There are numerous historical examples of green gentrification that highlight the unintended damage imposed on marginalized communities that prevents them from accessing and using high-quality green spaces. Let’s take a look at three cases.

New York City High Line

The New York City High Line took 1.5 miles of unused train track and turned it into an urban greenway through Manhattan’s West Side. This public park shifted the paradigm of what green spaces in a highly urbanized setting could look like, seamlessly integrating natural parks with restaurants and other commercial buildings into the urban landscape. The High Line presented vast benefits for the physical and mental wellness of NYC residents. However, before the construction of the High Line, the surrounding community was primarily low-income and people of color. After the High Line was established, housing prices started increasing, and there was a growth in luxury housing infrastructure. Although the High Line was technically effective in improving the green scape in Manhattan, it disregarded the importance of preserving affordable housing and the wellbeing of the lower and middle classes. 

Atlanta BeltLine

The Atlanta BeltLine, inspired by NYC’s High Line, is a 22-mile stretch of trails constructed on an unused railway with housing units, commercial buildings, and entertainment options. The BeltLine was intended to improve the quality of life of Atlanta’s residents, but it instead became a clear instance of green gentrification. It raised the value of the surrounding land, pushing out lower-income residents. Property value was shown to increase more significantly near the BeltLine than away from it, causing an increase in rents and making housing in the area unaffordable. The BeltLine runs through many communities that are primarily Black and low-income, especially in the southern and western parts of the city. While the BeltLine was meant to provide more green spaces for all residents of Atlanta, it failed to consider the effects of gentrification on underprivileged communities, displacing families and disrupting their livelihoods.

East Boston

Positioned on the coast, Boston is threatened by rising sea levels due to climate change. East Boston residents, who are primarily immigrants or lower-income individuals, are especially subjected to a severe danger of flooding. The previously undeveloped shoreline has seen a boom in sustainable infrastructure in the past decade, displacing most previous residents. Developers of the region failed to set prices for the new infrastructure and amenities, causing prices to skyrocket as a result of the influx of wealthier residents. These developments have made the entire East Boston neighborhood more desirable, curtailing its affordability and supplanting lower-income residents. The cost of living in the neighborhood has tripled in the past two decades. Policymakers and developers in Boston did not consider equitable development, specifically affordable housing, disrupting the lives of underprivileged communities who can no longer afford the costly living environment.

Solutions

With the growing awareness of the significance of urban green spaces, green gentrification is becoming increasingly prevalent. There are some solutions for policy specialists and urban developers to ensure that advances in green infrastructure are still equitable and accessible for all residents:

• Planning for green spaces should be more inclusive by including consultations from the public, communication with community representatives, and more regard for local views on development projects.

• Developers should work with communities to craft Community Benefits Agreements (CBAs) so that developers guarantee benefits including “affordable housing, environmental improvements, and workforce development” for the residents where they are constructing green spaces.

• Urban planning should incorporate environmental justice principles into all projects so that developers are required to evaluate the equity of infrastructure before implementing it in a community.

Works Cited

Aswani, Karnik. “The Benefits of Green Infrastructure Investments in Urban Planning.” Earth.Org, 28 Sept. 2023, earth.org/the-benefits-of-green-infrastructure-investments-in-urban-planning/.

Chen, Chelsea. “Environmental Justice in Urban Development: The Problem of Green Gentrification.” Environmental Law Institute, 25 Oct. 2021, www.eli.org/vibrant-environment-blog/environmental-justice-urban-development-problem-green-gentrification.

Davis, Taylor. “A Darker Shade of Green.” Texas Architect Magazine, 2023, magazine.texasarchitects.org/2023/11/09/a-darker-shade-of-green/.

Georgetown Climate Center. “Equitable Adaptation Legal & Policy Toolkit.” Georgetown Climate Center, www.georgetownclimate.org/adaptation/toolkits/equitable-adaptation-toolkit/community-protections-and-agreements.html. Accessed 12 July 2024.

Immergluck, Dan. “Atlanta’s Beltline Shows How Urban Parks Can Drive ‘green Gentrification’ If Cities Don’t Think about Affordable Housing at the Start.” The Conversation, 25 Jan. 2023, theconversation.com/atlantas-beltline-shows-how-urban-parks-can-drive-green-gentrification-if-cities-dont-think-about-affordable-housing-at-the-start-193204.

Sokoloff, Maya. “The Clash between Sustainable and Affordable: Green Gentrification and the Housing Crisis.” McGill Policy Association, McGill Policy Association, 27 Mar. 2023, mcgillpolicyassociation.com/latest-articles/2023/3/27/the-clash-between-sustainable-and-affordable-green-gentrification-and-the-housing-crisis.

Walker, Jo. Climate Gentrification and Its Effects on Vulnerable Populations, 26 Jan. 2024, seas.umich.edu/news/climate-gentrification-and-its-effects-vulnerable-populations.