6/25/20 Webinar: Greening without Gentrification

The Coastal Conservancy hosted this webinar on Thursday, June 25 2020 from 12-1pm.

A recording of the webinar can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QP77Mwt4Wg

There is growing concern that conservation projects—from parks and open space to urban forestry and ecological reserves—can contribute to “green gentrification,” increases in housing prices and the influx of new, wealthier residents in low-income communities. Policymakers, planners, advocates for parks, conservation, and affordable housing, and local community-based organizations are increasingly recognizing this threat and taking action to limit displacement.

Researchers Alessandro Rigolon and Jon Christensen will present the results of their ongoing study “Greening Without Gentrification: Parks-Related Anti-Displacement Strategies Nationwide.” They will share key insights from the field about successful anti-displacement strategies that have a clear nexus with parks and conservation efforts.

Alessandro Rigolon is an Assistant Professor in the Department of City & Metropolitan Planning at the University of Utah. His research focuses on planning for green space and health equity, using an environmental justice lens, in a wide range of settings, including parks, greenways and trails, urban waters, street trees, and greened vacant lots. His current work covers three related areas: planning and policy determinants of equitable and inequitable park provision, drivers and resistance to gentrification fostered by new parks, and the public health impacts of green space on marginalized communities.

Jon Christensen teaches and conducts multidisciplinary research at UCLA focusing on equity and the environment, strategic environmental communication, and journalism, media, and storytelling. He is an adjunct assistant professor in the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, Luskin Center for Innovation, Department of History, and Center for Digital Humanities at UCLA. He is a founder of the Laboratory for Environmental Narrative Strategies at UCLA.