ABSTRACT
New green assets in the coastal community of East Boston have enhanced its environmental and economic value, while creating new sources of housing vulnerability and social exclusion for historically marginalized groups. These hard-won green investments were intended to provide new community green spaces and mitigate pollution from activities of the adjacent airport. However, as the latest luxury real estate investments multiply along the recently greener, more resilient waterfront, residents are becoming increasingly more vulnerable—this time through green climate gentrification and the creation of “islands of resilience” that increasingly exclude residents of color and privilege new white residents. This chapter investigates how for those already at risk of increased flooding and flooding-related costs, the transformed coastline presents a new source of displacement due to climate gentrification and the rapid whitening of a Latinx neighborhood.
Keywords
the urban development pattern of the city and neighborhood: fast-growing city; tech, financial, and health economy
the urban greening of the neighborhood/city: environmental clean-up; new parks and gardens; green climate adaptation
the inequalities at stake: environmental gentrification; environmental injustices; green climate gentrification; remaining contamination
