Gentrification is the process by which different neighborhoods change in characteristics, encompassing increasing housing costs and residents’ socioeconomic status from these changes. This process is increasingly impacting urban communities. Cities including Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York City are rapidly changing, affecting communities of color and other vulnerable populations. This displaces low-income communities into metropolitan areas, causing higher prices for resources while pushing out residents from their homes for higher-income individuals.
According to a study published by the National Library of Medicine, Black and Hispanic residents in gentrified neighborhoods are associated with various health risks and general disadvantages compared to their white counterparts. This includes life expectancy, a lack of accessibility to green spaces, increased living in medically underserved areas, and increased air pollutant exposure.
The UN climate change report from 2023 states that the world will face rapidly high temperatures within 10 years. Constant heat waves, the rise of infectious diseases, and famines under less resourceful farms will occur. Often, people perceive that developing countries are solely impacted by climate change. However, this drastic climate change will affect predominantly Black and Brown cities.
Under the urban heat island effect, cities are often significantly warmer compared to surrounding suburbs and rural areas, stemming from increasing heat islands in formerly redlined areas. The hottest urban areas are typically cities with limited access to resources to mitigate the impacts of climate change. Educational attainment, racial diversity, and poverty are the main disparities present within these neighborhoods. Historic redlining policies contribute to these unhealthy ecosystems of heat and access. Under redlining perpetuated by the Home Owners Loan Corporation (HOLC) of the 1930s, neighborhoods considered high risk and dangerous were colored red, while neighborhoods considered safer and more well-equipped were colored green. Neighborhoods considered “red” were redlined by mortgage lending institutions and often denied access to investments for housing, a main indicator of wealth in American life. As a result of this exclusionary practice, cities that were redlined face racial and economic inequities to this day.
Formerly redlined areas often have cooler surface temperatures compared to non-redlined areas. Areas deemed as red are 2.6 degrees warmer than those that were better rated. This heat is exacerbated by the creation of large building complexes and the construction of roadways. Under heat waves, predominantly Black and Brown cities suffer the most. During the 1995 Chicago heat wave, many people weren’t able to properly prepare for this extreme weather, with temperatures reaching triple digits. Many poorer and older residents were unable to survive this disaster due to the lack of air conditioning available in their homes, instead using windows as a source of AC. As Paramedic Scipione assisted patients during the second day of the three day heat wave, he said, “A lot of our older population, if they’re living in an area that’s marginal, they don’t want to open their doors to people. Or they have burglar bars on their front doors and windows. They pass out, and you can’t get in.” Residents who lived in areas with high crime and impoverished structures were more likely to use no form of cooling, showing the vast disparities communities of color face during times of heat crises.
Furthermore, accessibility to green spaces and urban parks is concentrated in wealthier areas. Planting trees (a concept known as the tree canopy) is proven to widely benefit human health, and can lower the surface temperatures present in neighborhoods.
There is a lack of housing development for lower-resourced communities to address the pressing climate crisis. A consequence of climate change is rising sea levels. Climate gentrification states that high-income individuals have the wealth and accessibility to leave former neighborhoods with low sea level rises to move into high-elevated homes to prevent the risk of displacement from climate. Liberty City is an example of a city in Miami facing these influences in real life. This predominantly Black and Hispanic city sits on higher elevations compared to the rest of Miami, making it less susceptible to sea level rise. This benefit is beginning to attract real-estate developers, showing the value appreciation of higher-level sea rise. In Liberty City specifically, this real-estate attention is worrying local residents about what plans developers are planning to implement in this small, cultural enclave. Many long-time community members left the area, with many moving away from the neighborhood after receiving vouchers for Section 8 housing from real estate developers. Valencia Gunder, a lifelong resident of Liberty City, said, “The place just don’t feel like home anymore.” This quote depicts how rampant climate displacement is in this cultural community, further worrying residents and fostering a lack of hope and community.
Philadelphia is experiencing the same effects of climate change and gentrification as well. A problem that arises from solution-based approaches is the possibility of displacement of community residents. Building green spaces, especially parks and communal spaces that incorporate more natural greenery, is pertinent. However, these new areas of greenery can displace residents from their homes, further exacerbating gentrification and forms of housing segregation.
An innovative solution to address the climate gentrification present in varying local neighborhoods are rain gardens. Rain gardens are shallow planted spaces that absorb rainwater from anyone’s roof, parking lots, or any other flat surfaces available outside, and put that same water into the soil. When rain occurs, the rain stays in place because of the lack of draining mechanisms present in cities and the disconnection homes have from the sewer system. Rain gardens are typically planted below ground level, with a stone base to collect runoff and sustain the garden’s plants. Water can serve as a benefit to plants and other natural organisms that may need the water for survival. This cost-effective, timely solution can manage water during times of crisis, including for hurricanes, extreme storms, and flooding, and prevent water pollution from escalating.
Philadelphia schools have taken the lead by implementing rain gardens, creating spaces that benefit both students and the community. The Philadelphia Water Department for the past 10 years has developed initiatives in the city’s schools targeted towards addressing climate change with the implementation of accessible green spaces. Close to one-third of elementary schools in Philadelphia have rain gardens and tree canopies. A school that has led the way to solution-based efforts for climate displacement is Alexander Adaire Elementary School , located in Fishtown, Pennsylvania. Alexander Adaire Elementary School created a rain garden that features a multitude of native plants and natural species. The rain garden allows students to learn more about the importance of nature in an accessible manner, as the rain garden soaks up rainwater from their nearby surfaces, including the playground, streets, and parking lot. A $1 million grant from the Nature Conservancy has enriched this initiative, allowing for four elementary schools in the Kingsessing neighborhood and South Philadelphia to gain new green infrastructure for mitigating stormwater runoff.
Climate gentrification impacts different cities across the country, especially Philadelphia. Using innovative solutions such as rain gardens and green infrastructure can tackle the situation in proactive ways. Understanding the impacts of climate change on urban cities while listening to the needs and concerns of community residents is pressing. To prevent the displacement of people and the cultural value of communities with climate gentrification, building inclusive infrastructure with tangible results will have long-term advantages. Although some may question the costs of green infrastructure in relation to long-term solutions, it’s important to recognize that these solutions are pressing during increasing times of climate gentrification and displacement. Building sustainable development that’s affordable and accessible to communities of color is essential to fighting climate change and systemic injustice perpetrated by housing segregation.
Written by: Erina Chowdhury Edited by: Mariam Nageeb