Eco-gentrification

an uninvited companion of the urban sustainability transition

Abstract

Cities try to create economic growth and now urgently meet the sustainable development goals. This urban sustainability transition is carried out through various sustainable urban development measures. Cities’ abandoned brownfields are cleaned up and redeveloped for residential and commercial use, new parks are found, old buildings and neighborhoods are renovated to become more energy-efficient and to face the consequences of climate change. Sustainable urban development also draws affluent people to the inner cities closer to commercial services, public transportation, and pleasant scenic and environmental amenities. This article reviews eco-gentrification research. It defines eco-gentrification as a neighborhood’s socio-economic change into an affluent neighborhood that is intentionally or unintentionally carried out by symbolic and/or material ecological improvements. This article looks at international research literature to seek answers to how the urban sustainability transition may affect residential differentiation and displacement. Analytical questions presented to the literature are what forms eco-gentrification may take, how the sustainability transition affects the dynamics of residential differentiation, and what should be done about it. The article provides an understanding of the unexpected social impacts of the sustainability transition. Critical empirical research should now be focused on sustainable urban development measures to develop socially fair and ecologically effective policies.