The threat of eco-gentrification | The Press

(Washington) Several studies have shown that poor neighborhoods have poorer air quality. How to remedy the situation without doing “eco-gentrification”, which causes a negative impact on local populations in terms of housing, transport and employment? The question was discussed at the most recent annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), in early March in Washington.

Green in vogue

The numbers are clear: the density of green space in Chicago was a better predictor of the value of surrounding homes in 2010 than it was in 1990. To reach this conclusion, Ji Eun Kim of Arizona State University, analyzed in detail the value of homes in the Midwestern metropolis between 1990 and 2010, as well as the evolution of green space in satellite images. “There have been a lot of studies on eco-gentrification [ecogentrification]but these were analyzes on a particular neighborhood, generally after an episode of gentrification [gentrification] “says M.^me Kim, whose presentation at AAAS won first prize in the student competition.

Vacant land and trees

The study of M.^me Kim, a partial version of which was published last year in the journal Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, also distinguished parks from other green spaces. “Informal green spaces have a much more variable impact on gentrification,” says Ms.^me Kim. In some cases, they are a sign of neglect, such as vacant lots and poorly maintained homes surrounded by weeds.

In others, they are part of the beauty of a neighborhood, such as manicured grounds, trees on public property. Some researchers have proposed, to counter eco-gentrification, that a municipality set aside land for social housing before proceeding with green developments – for example, a new park or a riverside promenade. But that complicates the process.

It could be that some informal green spaces, such as trees in the streets and green medians rather than concrete, have less impact on gentrification. If confirmed, it would be a way to green poor neighborhoods without increasing rents and house prices. As part of her doctorate on environmental justice, Ms.^me Kim specifically examines the issue of curbside trees.

Complexity

The study of M.^me Kim will be included in a book on environmental justice and eco-gentrification to be published in 2024. “So far, studies of eco-gentrification have been too local to draw general conclusions to help authorities to better plan investments in green spaces,” explains Heather Campbell, of Claremont Graduate University in Los Angeles, who is one of the co-authors of the book.

“We want to use an approach that reflects the complexity of individual choices. This is the same approach that is used to study traffic jams caused by seemingly innocuous decisions. A driver who slows down can cause traffic to come to a complete stop a few miles behind him. »

Just enough green

One of the approaches proposed in recent years to counter eco-gentrification is the “just enough green” movement (just green enough). “It’s the idea that we can clean up disused industrial sites and vacant lots without transforming them into desirable places to the point of attracting businesses targeting wealthy customers,” says Ms.^me Kim. The concept was used for the Newton Creek river walk in Brooklyn. It was specifically designed not to attract real estate investments associated with gentrification. »

Urban farming

The mastery of M.^me Kim was about urban agriculture. “Some authors have argued that urban farming can lead to eco-gentrification when we treat it as a hobby rather than a goal to reduce our carbon footprint. » M^me Kim sent to The Press a study published in 2020 in the journal Agriculture and Human Values by American researchers, which compared two community gardens in New York. The one in Astoria was associated with gentrification because it prioritized aesthetics, including resistance to temporary structures needed for winter farming and the reuse of building materials to build cabins, and an emphasis on activities for kids. The one in East New York, located in a neighborhood less affected by gentrification, aimed to maximize agricultural production.

Cycle paths

The bicycle is at the heart of one of the debates on eco-gentrification, as well as bike sharing. Statistics show that the rich use bicycles less than the poor to get around, but several trials over the years have denounced the creation of cycle paths through poor neighborhoods to allow people from the affluent suburbs to get to the city center, M-grade^me Campbell.

“It’s also a debate where there’s a lack of systematic data,” she says. I have just corrected a student work on bike sharing which reviews the literature. Indeed, it seems that the bike-sharing clientele is whiter and more affluent than the average. But this seems to be because social demands for the creation and expansion of bike-sharing networks are made by more affluent people. If bike-sharing networks are extended to poor neighborhoods, their inhabitants benefit just as much as the rich. »

Also in Montreal

Eco-gentrification has also been debated in Montreal, particularly with the rehabilitation of the banks of the Lachine Canal. Other examples of eco-gentrification in Quebec include Parc-Extension, with the urban gardens of the MIL campus, the revitalization of the banks of the Saint-Charles River in Quebec City, and an alley located between Sainte-Émilie and Saint -Ambroise, in Saint-Henri.