Follow the money: Do gentrifying and at-risk neighborhoods attract more park spending?
Michael Reibel, Alessandro Rigolon, Angelica Rocha
Abstract
Recent research has shown that spending in urban green spaces including parks has fostered gentrification, a process known as green gentrification. But could ongoing gentrification and gentrification risk also precede local spending on new or existing parks? Focusing on the City of Los Angeles, we investigate whether park investment generated through developer fees in 2016–2018 went disproportionately to neighborhoods undergoing gentrification or at risk to gentrify. Logistic regression models show that park spending occurred disproportionately in tracts with traits of ongoing gentrification, some characteristics of gentrification risk, and higher educational attainment. Also, areas with higher proportions of Black and Asian residents saw fewer park investments. As cities around the world increasingly rely on developer fees to fund public amenities, planners and policymakers should develop strategies to ensure such investments do not accelerate existing gentrification and displacement of the most marginalized.