The green gentrification cycle

Abstract

Significant research has shown that gentrification often follows the implementation of greening initiatives (e.g. new parks) in cities worldwide, in what scholars have called ‘green gentrification’. A few other studies in the Global North suggest that greening initiatives might be disproportionately located in disadvantaged neighbourhoods that are gentrifying as opposed to disadvantaged areas experiencing continuous disinvestment. Building on these findings, in this critical commentary we present the green gentrification cycle, which sheds light on the complex spatiotemporal relationships between greening and gentrification. The cycle posits that gentrification can precede greening, gentrification can follow greening and, in some cases, gentrification can both precede and then follow greening. We present the actors and processes involved in intentionally steering greening to already gentrifying communities and discuss them through an environmental justice lens. Specifically, we propose three complementary explanations for why gentrification precedes greening, including demand from gentrifiers, push from the green growth machine and increased resource availability in gentrifying communities. We then present a research agenda on the green gentrification cycle, including the need for a better understanding of how the cycle might materialise in places with varying political economies, such as the Global South.

Exploring Spatio-Temporal Pattern of Gentrification Processes in Intracity Slums in the Lagos Megacity

“…Furthermore, not all gentrification processes lead to neighborhood upgrades, such as conversions of cleared slums into open spaces in Delhi [34]. Thus, various types of gentrification processes can be distinguished based on their specific processes, for example, slum gentrification [15,35], studentification [36], infrastructure-induced gentrification [37], commercial gentrification [16,38], hybrid gentrification [39], green gentrification [40,41], etc.…”

Growing Older Urbanism: exploring the nexus between ageing, the built environment, and urban ecosystems

“…Example of antagonism: 'Green gentrification' linked to urban greening (Rigolon and Collins 2022) can negatively impact a local community, but may place additional burdens on older people due to economic vulnerability, social exclusion, and other gentrification related forces (Buffel et al 2012).…”

Pathways To Sustainable Real Estate Investment In Sub Saharan African Countries: the 22nd Annual AfRES Conference

“…For this purpose, we choose a rather recent aspect of the northern gentrification debate: green gentrification. Green gentrification, also called environmental or ecological gentrification, is mostly researched in the global North (Blok, 2020;Rigolon & Collins, 2023). It implies the stirring up of gentrification processes through the creation of new parks and greenspaces.…”

“…Some scholars have indicated that, due to the magnitude and cost of engineering works required to convert wetlands into building lands, permits to develop wetlands are usually given to high-income groups and commercial high bidders (Kuusaana et al, 2021;Munshifwa et al, 2021). Having regard to these insights, we contend that the dynamics of urbanization, wetland encroachment and displacement in African cities is synonymous with the general characteristics of green gentrification in Western cities, which includes urban green spaces, increases in real estate prices, involvement of rich and powerful actors, the rent gap and displacement of vulnerable populations (Anguelovski et al, 2019;Rigolon & Collins, 2023). Interestingly, this relationship has eluded many of the scholars whose research borders on wetland encroachment and green gentrification.…”