Cities are greening in response to rising issues related to climate change by creating new parks and green spaces. With this greening comes the concern of ‘green gentrification’ described by Alessandro Rigolon and Jon Christensen as “a process involving increases in housing prices and the influx of new, wealthier and often white residents in low-income communities of color.” They also explain that recent research shows how new parks meant to benefit longtime residents often displace them. Rigolon and Christensen’s policy summary, “Greening without Gentrification: Learning from Parks-Related Anti-Displacement Strategies Nationwide,” details parks-related anti-displacement strategies (PRADS) used in projects across the U.S. to prevent the displacement of low-income communities of color. The summary is broken down into 2 key parts: analysis of strategies and recommendations for using them.
The strategies identified in the report are classified by the type of stakeholder that can use them. The six types of stakeholders are categorized as either beneficiaries or implementers of parks. The PRADS that apply to each stakeholder group are explained and include potential benefits and limitations of the strategies. For example, renters who would be beneficiaries of parks generally would be impacted by city policies and initiatives such as rent control, anti-eviction protections, and renter education workshops. The limitations of these strategies are that they may not be targeted enough to be effective at limiting displacement.
An appendix at the end of the document provides complete lists of strategies that Rigolon and Christensen identified for the beneficiaries (renters, homeowners, and businesses and jobs) and implementers (private-sector housing developers, nonprofit and public housing organizations, and public park funding agencies).
The effectiveness of the listed strategies has not yet been determined. However, the initiatives, policies, and programs used across the country demonstrate that work is being done to combat green gentrification. The piece emphasizes the multi-sector complexity in addressing these issues. Communication and partnerships between park designers, housing advocates, landscape architects, and residents are needed to ensure that a full range of considerations are made for parks projects. Given the U.S.’s long history of environmental racism, or the disproportionate impact of environmental hazards on people of color, these PRADS serve as a path forward for equitably developing urban areas and the green spaces within them.