Can Cities Go Green Without Driving Gentrification?

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4.3 • 4.5K Ratings

🗓️ 27 February 2023

⏱️ 33 minutes

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Summary

Cities across the country are using green space to combat the effects of climate change. Many are going beyond tree planting by rezoning abandoned infrastructure — like railroads and suspended highways — to create expansive, vibrant urban parks.

But new data shows that this environmental revitalization is driving gentrification and displacing people in low-income communities.

How can cities balance the impact of green gentrification with the need to adopt more climate-resilient developments?

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Transcript

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0:00.0	The city's around the country are grappling with the realities of climate change.
0:11.9	As the nation pushes toward more environmentally conscious development, new projects are turning
0:16.5	abandoned infrastructure like railroad tracks and suspended highways into designated green
0:21.7	spaces.
0:22.7	Perhaps one of the most well-known examples is the High Line in New York.
0:26.8	In 2006, city officials broke ground on abandoned elevated railroad tracks that had been
0:31.7	unused for decades.
0:33.6	And today it is almost one and a half miles of green space in the middle of Manhattan
0:38.9	and its incredibly popular.
0:41.1	What I love most about the High Line is this overgrown feeling of all of this greenery
0:45.0	around these preserved tracks.
0:47.1	It is so stunning and it seriously feels like an oasis in the middle of the city.
0:51.0	My number one tip is you definitely need to wear comfortable shoes.
0:54.5	My number two tip is to get here early.
0:56.7	I cannot stress it enough.
0:58.2	It gets so crowded later in the day, especially on a weekend.
1:01.4	So get here early if you want to enjoy that peaceful quiet that makes this space so special.
1:07.3	That was YouTuber and High Line fan Jennifer O'Brien.
1:10.8	Since its opening, similar projects have popped up all over the country, but a study this
1:15.4	year from the Barcelona Lab for Urban Environmental Justice and Sustainability shows that as cities
1:20.7	invest in these new green enclaves, the cost of living near them goes up.
1:25.8	The rising costs push out low income renters often into areas with less green space.
	...

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