The Green Gentrification and Health: Restoring Health of Long Term Residents without Displacement

Zorana Matic (School of Architecture, Georgia Institute of Technology)

Evidence of ecological, social and health benefits of access to green spaces has been widely published, however little is known about how re-greening interventions affect long-term residents. This study looks closely at Atlanta BeltLine - a 22-mile long “rails-to-trails” development that aims to convert unused railroad into a network of trails, parks, housing, transit and connect the city’s 45 diverse neighborhoods. Thegoal is to explore the divergent pathways between re-greening projects and health. While it is expected that BeltLine positively affects well-being by bringing amenities into historically disadvantaged neighborhoods that suffer the greatest health problems, it has also become a catalyst for green gentrification that acts as a moderator of the relationship between green spaces and health. Rapid changes in socioeconomic conditions can widen the existing health disparities and according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lead to a number of adverse outcomes: mental health problems, increased stress, and depression, to name some.

In the quantitative part of the study, relying on published literature on gentrification indicators, we developed the gentrification index using Principal Component Analysis (PCA). To capture the socioeconomic and demographic changes over time we compiled census tract-level data from the 2000 census and 2011-2015 American Community Survey’s. ArcGIS was used to map the index and select neighborhoods that experienced the most rapid gentrification. In the second part, in-depth interviews were conducted with long-term residents and community leaders to identify perceived health opportunities and threats, changes in their physical environment, but also changes in lifestyles, behaviors and self-reported health before and after the BeltLine trails development. While most of the residents value the amenities the BeltLine brings, they expressed concerns regarding cultural displacement and health inequalities and disparities due to the increased costs of living, calling for policies that will ensure the equitable development without displacement.