Green gentrification and equitable urban forest governance in Metro Vancouver and the Greater Toronto Area

Green gentrification and equitable urban forest governance in Metro Vancouver and the Greater Toronto Area

How can we manage urban forests in a way that benefits all residents without causing displacement or exclusion?

Background summary

Cities are showing an increased appreciation for the myriad ecological and social benefits that urban forests provide. However, the distribution and experience of these benefits among urban residents are often unequal. Attempts to increase urban forest access—such as urban forest renewal projects, public parks, or community gardens—have been linked to the displacement of economically marginalized residents. This phenomenon, known as green gentrification, occurs when improvements to urban green spaces trigger an influx of wealth, raising the cost of living and forcing vulnerable residents to relocate. Additionally, changes to green spaces without local guidance can create a sense of exclusion among residents.

Activities

  • Clarify green gentrification: Define the meaning and scope of green gentrification within the context of urban forestry and green equity discourse through a review of the literature.
  • Investigate governance impacts: Conduct practitioner interviews and resident surveys, case studies, and expert workshops to examine the extent to which concerns about green gentrification influence urban forest governance in metropolitan areas across Canada.
  • Propose equitable models: Develop equitable approaches to urban forest governance that consider the relationships between urban forest development and green gentrification.

Outcomes

Green gentrification is a complex, multi-system phenomenon that changes across space & time. Greening & gentrification are bound up together; greening does not necessarily drive gentrification but greening often occurs alongside gentrification.

Practitioners find that development commonly funds/accommodates greening, thereby upholding existing inequities and creating new ones. ‘Green gentrification’ currently has limited utility for practitioners, more important are affordability and equity policies that work across urban systems.

Main themes of practitioner interviews (Quinton et al., 2024)

Expert practitioners in workshops across Metro Vancouver and the GTA suggest the following strategies to achieve equitable urban forestry:

  1. Introduction of systemic and equity-based governance approaches.
  2. Coordination and planning between departments and organizations BEFORE implementation.
  3. Meaningful community engagement.
  4. Resource mobilization and building partnerships.

Time Frame

2020 – 2024

Location

Metro Vancouver, BC

Partners

Metro Vancouver
City of Surrey
Toronto Region Conservation Authority
Tree Canada

UNL Researchers

Lorien Nesbitt
Jess Quinton
Dan Sax
Kaitlyn Pike
Cecil Konijnendijk

Funding Sources

SSHRC Insight Development Grant
SSHRC CGS-D
UBC Forestry 4YF
Tree Canada
Ufor Network

PROJECT RESEARCH

Greening the gentrification process: Insights and engagements from practitioners

Green gentrification implicates urban greening as a driver of neighbourhood ‘upgrading’ and subsequent displacement. However, it is unclear whether the concept resonates with, or supports the work of, those responsible for much of the greening occurring in cities – urban green planners/practitioners. We interviewed 33 planners/practitioners in Canada to refine our understanding of the relationships…

Greening practitioners worry about green gentrification but many don’t address it in their work

As cities attempt to ameliorate urban green inequities, a potential challenge has emerged in the form of green gentrification. Although practitioners are central to urban greening and associated gentrification, there has yet to be an exploration of practitioner perspectives on the phenomenon. We fill this gap with an online survey of 51 urban greening practitioners…

How common is greening in gentrifying areas?

Green gentrification occurs when urban greening/sustainability interventions become implicated in neighbourhood upgrading and displacement of existing residents. However, current emphasis on urban sustainability in planning/policy agendas, coupled with political-economic factors producing uneven development, lead us to ask whether all gentrifying areas experience greening. Our descriptive analysis identified gentrifying areas in Vancouver, Calgary, and Toronto (Canada),…

Improvement, not displacement: A framework for urban green gentrification research and practice

As researchers have continued to expand the bounds of green gentrification scholarship, understanding of what green gentrification is and how to identify the phenomenon on the ground has grown obscured. In an attempt to bring clarity to this conversation, our research presents an urban green gentrification framework, based on findings from a scoping review and…

Expelled from the garden? Understanding the dynamics of green gentrification in Vancouver, British Columbia

There is substantial evidence detailing the ecological and social benefits provided through urban greening. However, research in the field of urban green equity has revealed that these benefits are not enjoyed equitably by all residents; existing disparities in the distribution, accessibility, and experience of urban greening disproportionately affect historically marginalized communities and residents. Furthermore, green…

How well do we know green gentrification? A systematic review of the methods

This systematic literature review identifies and critiques methodological trends in green gentrification research (focusing on studies of vegetative greening) and provides suggestions for advancing this field. Findings reveal (1) research has largely focused on U.S. case studies; (2) early work employed qualitative methods but quantitative analyses have become more common; (3) little attention has been…

Partners & Funders

Metro Vancouver PS1200
Surrey
Toronto Region Conservation Authority
Tree Canada
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Ufor
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