Source: Pratt Institute. n.d. “Mapping the Impact of Super-Gentrification in American Cities.” Pratt Institute. Available at: https://www.pratt.edu/research/research-at-pratt/provosts-centers/spatial-analysis-visualization-initiative/featured-projects/mapping-the-impact-of-super-gentrification-in-american-cities/
Green gentrification illustrates a critical paradox in urban sustainability: environmental improvements, while intended to enhance quality of life, often lead to the displacement of long-standing residents. The growing frequency and severity of natural disasters highlight how existing energy and environmental policies increase community vulnerability to climate-driven displacement. Involuntary relocation, a loss of affordable housing, and a higher cost of living can lead to intensified poverty, homelessness, reduced life expectancy, and worsened financial health indicators. Those most at risk of green gentrification displacement are people of color, renters, households with children in poverty, and people 25 and older without a bachelor’s degree.
Moreover, research on climate gentrification illustrates how extreme weather events—such as hurricanes—destroy housing in low-income neighborhoods, creating opportunities for predatory redevelopment that displaces long-term residents. To align ecological progress with social justice, policymakers can implement anti-displacement tools like inclusionary zoning, property tax relief (as in Philadelphia), right-to-return policies, and community land trusts—ensuring that green investments uplift residents rather than uproot them.
