TY - JOUR
T1 - RACIAL INEQUITY IN GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE AND GENTRIFICATION
T2 - Challenging Compounded Environmental Racisms in the Green City
AU - Lewartowska, Emilia
AU - Anguelovski, Isabelle
AU - Oscilowicz, Emilia
AU - Triguero-Mas, Margarita
AU - Cole, Helen
AU - Shokry, Galia
AU - Pérez-del-Pulgar, Carmen
AU - Connolly, James J.T.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Authors. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Urban Research Publications Limited.
PY - 2024/4/8
Y1 - 2024/4/8
N2 - This article explores the role that green gentrification plays in exacerbating racial tensions within historically marginalized urban communities benefiting from new environmental amenities such as parks, gardens, waterfront restoration and greenways. Building on extensive qualitative data from three cities in Europe (Amsterdam, Vienna, Lyon) and four cities in the United States (Washington, Austin, Atlanta, Cleveland), we use thematic analysis and grounded theory to examine the complex relationship between historical environmental and racial injustices and current racial green inequities produced by the green city agenda. Our analysis also offers insights into the main differences in how community members articulate concerns and demands over racial issues related to green gentrification in Europe versus North America. Results show that urban greening—and green gentrification specifically—can create ‘compounded environmental racisms’ by worsening racial environmental injustices and further perpetrating green racialized displacement, re-segregation and exclusion. The latter is produced by the racial inequities embedded in green infrastructure projects and the related unequal access to environmental benefits, affordable housing, political rights and place-making. Moreover, we find that settler colonial practices combined with persisting exposure to toxins and re-segregation in the United States together with neocolonial spatial and social practices in Europe shape how racialized community members perceive and interact with new green amenities.
AB - This article explores the role that green gentrification plays in exacerbating racial tensions within historically marginalized urban communities benefiting from new environmental amenities such as parks, gardens, waterfront restoration and greenways. Building on extensive qualitative data from three cities in Europe (Amsterdam, Vienna, Lyon) and four cities in the United States (Washington, Austin, Atlanta, Cleveland), we use thematic analysis and grounded theory to examine the complex relationship between historical environmental and racial injustices and current racial green inequities produced by the green city agenda. Our analysis also offers insights into the main differences in how community members articulate concerns and demands over racial issues related to green gentrification in Europe versus North America. Results show that urban greening—and green gentrification specifically—can create ‘compounded environmental racisms’ by worsening racial environmental injustices and further perpetrating green racialized displacement, re-segregation and exclusion. The latter is produced by the racial inequities embedded in green infrastructure projects and the related unequal access to environmental benefits, affordable housing, political rights and place-making. Moreover, we find that settler colonial practices combined with persisting exposure to toxins and re-segregation in the United States together with neocolonial spatial and social practices in Europe shape how racialized community members perceive and interact with new green amenities.
KW - community mobilization
KW - Europe
KW - green gentrification
KW - inequity
KW - racial justice
KW - urban greening
KW - USA
KW - community mobilization
KW - Europe
KW - green gentrification
KW - inequity
KW - racial justice
KW - urban greening
KW - USA
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85190157308&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/92ab38a4-009e-340e-8e4f-19dc69f1e6b4/
UR - https://portalrecerca.uab.cat/en/publications/581953f6-f028-4019-a0d0-1214b952ddd1
U2 - 10.1111/1468-2427.13232
DO - 10.1111/1468-2427.13232
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85190157308
SN - 0309-1317
VL - 48
SP - 294
EP - 322
JO - International Journal of Urban and Regional Research
JF - International Journal of Urban and Regional Research
IS - 2
ER -