Ella Hook
Pronouns: she/her
Research Mentor(s): Josh Newell
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Center for Sustainable Systems / SNRE
Program: UROP
Session: Session 3 (11:00am – 11:50am)
Authors: Ella Hook, Jason Hawes, Joshua Newell
Abstract
Green gentrification is the process by which access to new “green” amenities like urban gardens and parks drive neighborhood changes like housing price, rent increase, and business turnover. Conversely then, neighborhood improvement efforts can lead to displacement of long-standing communities, exacerbating inequalities in economic outcomes and access to green space. This project seeks to assess the degree to which implementation of urban community gardens in New York City has led to green gentrification. To do this, we assess changes in rent rates and other socio-demographics over time before and after the implementation of an urban agriculture site. Our analysis does not point to a causal relationship between urban gardening and rising rents, however it highlights the nature of neighborhood transformation near gardens. These results would suggest that policies must reflect the risk of neighborhood change following the implementation of urban agriculture. Urban agriculture is likely to continue expanding in light of its multifunctional benefits, and cities must be more intentional in supporting existing residents during this process.
