ABSTRACT
Washington, D.C., is one of the most intensively gentrifying cities in the United States, but gentrification and displacement are not homogenous across its landscape. This chapter considers the process of green gentrification, focusing on the transformations of the Anacostia River. Many residents remember the Anacostia River as a highly polluted, neglected and segregating river. More recently, however, the river’s partial clean-up and revitalization have turned it into a new green icon of the revived U.S. capital. While many see it as a symbol and opportunity for racial reconciliation in the highly segregated “Chocolate City,” it also increasingly embodies the traits of a gentrifying and displacing riverfront. 2 Engaging with the racialized landscape of the city and its history would help achieve a different outcome for green and sustainable Anacostia—rather than creating new racialized designations of vulnerability and displaceability.
Keywords
the urban development pattern of the city and neighborhood: race and class segregation; income inequality; recovering city; neighborhood redevelopment
the urban greening of the neighborhood: river restoration; green space 3 upgrading; conversion of grey infrastructure; bridge park; green design
the inequalities at stake: green gentrification; luxury developments; affordable housing crisis; high-end commercial development; displacement
