How well do we know green gentrification? A systematic review of the methods

Abstract

This systematic literature review identifies and critiques methodological trends in green gentrification research (focusing on studies of vegetative greening) and provides suggestions for advancing this field. Findings reveal (1) research has largely focused on U.S. case studies; (2) early work employed qualitative methods but quantitative analyses have become more common; (3) little attention has been paid to the influence of greening characteristics/functions and non-greening factors on gentrification; (4) the mechanisms through which greening leads to gentrification are not well understood, particularly on the demand side; and (5) despite being the main concern of green gentrification, displacement has not been well-documented.

Exploring green gentrification in 28 global North cities: the role of urban parks and other types of greenspaces

“…Both gentrification and an increase in re-naturing projects are well-described in cities around the world (Lees 2012, Haase et al 2017, Navarrete Escobedo 2020. Moreover, green gentrification is growingly reported in different locations (Quinton et al 2022). Accordingly, although our findings refer to Europe and North America, they should be considered in other contexts and future studies should explore if our results are replicated in other geographical locations such as South America or Asia.…”

Expelled from the garden? Understanding the dynamics of green gentrification in Vancouver, British Columbia

“…Our research reinforces previous findings about the limitations of green gentrification as an analytic framework. Recent scholarship has called into question the capacity of green gentrification to sufficiently explain the relation between urban greening and gentrification (Amorim Maia et al, 2020; Anguelovski, 2016; Hawes et al, 2022; Quinton et al, 2022; Rigolon et al, 2020). While it is clear that urban greening can trigger fluctuations in property values (Immergluck and Balan, 2018; Lang and Rothenberg, 2017; Park and Kim, 2019), this outcome may also occur as a result of retail or commercial speculation or proximity to other urban areas that have already experienced gentrification (Rigolon et al, 2020).…”

A New Phase of Just Urban Climate Action in the Rocky Mountain West

“…Around this same time, a growing body of research began to examine the injustices of urban greening. Though limited by methodological gaps (Quinton et al, 2022), cumulative evidence strongly suggests green amenities such as parks can exacerbate gentrification and displacement (e.g., Anguelovski et al, 2018;Checker, 2011;Gould & Lewis, 2017;McKendry, 2018;Wolch et al, 2014). Scholarship on green gentrification highlights how environmental amenities contribute to broader processes of urban transformation focused on increasing city center property values and attracting tourists and higher-income residents to the urban core.…”