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Can cities go green without driving gentrification?

People enjoy a summer afternoon along the High Line in lower Manhattan in New York City.
People enjoy a summer afternoon along the High Line in lower Manhattan in New York City.

Cities across the country are using green space to combat the effects of climate change. Many are going beyond tree planting by rezoning abandoned infrastructure — like railroads and suspended highways — to create expansive, vibrant urban parks.

These new parks are popular and lucrative. They’ve sparked a chain of similar projects all around the United States.

But new data shows that this environmental revitalization is driving gentrification and displacing people in low-income communities.

How can cities balance the impact of green gentrification with the need to adopt more climate-resilient developments?

We convene a panel of experts to talk about it.

Copyright 2022 WAMU 88.5

Lauren Hamilton