A growing body of research examines the question of how to make places more attractive and healthy, without then making them more expensive.
Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow provides access into an ongoing debate about "environmental gentrification": "Low-income communities tend to suffer from various kinds of environmental injustice, including shortage of green space. But when these concerns are addressed — the power plant closes, a park opens — the neighborhood becomes more desirable, often kickstarting a process of so-called 'environmental gentrification.'"
Researchers and advocates have proposed a "just green enough" model that "seeks to remedy injustices without introducing the fancy amenities that can radically transform a neighborhood," according to Tuhus-Dubrow.
The approach is the subject of a new paper in the journal Landscape and Urban Planning, by University of California, Berkeley professor Jennifer Wolch and coauthors.
The paper concludes with recommendations for pulling off the “careful balancing act” of improving conditions without inducing environmental gentrification, including:
- "Planners must be willing to design projects determined by specific community needs and preferences."
- "…prioritize small and scattered parks and community gardens, which can distribute access throughout a neighborhood, rather than flashy, large-scale projects of the type that tend to attract attention and real estate speculation."
FULL STORY: Pretty Park, Affordable Rent: Making Neighborhoods “Just Green Enough”
Oregon Passes Exemption to Urban Growth Boundary
Cities have a one-time chance to acquire new land for development in a bid to increase housing supply and affordability.
Where Urban Design Is Headed in 2024
A forecast of likely trends in urban design and architecture.
Savannah: A City of Planning Contrasts
From a human-scales, plaza-anchored grid to suburban sprawl, the oldest planned city in the United States has seen wildly different development patterns.
Orlando Pledges to Improve Walkability
A city report highlights successes and failures in building safer transportation infrastructure and reducing VMT in 2023.
New York Transit Agency Launches Performance Dashboard
The tool increases transparency about the agency’s performance on a variety of metrics.
Washington Tribes Receive Resilience Funding
The 28 grants support projects including relocation efforts as coastal communities face the growing impacts of climate change.
City of Rochester
Boston Harbor Now
City of Bellevue
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Birmingham, Alabama
City of Laramie, Wyoming
Colorado Department of Local Affairs
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.