But rising sea levels, along with increased flooding from extreme weather events have created an unusual predicament and added a new term to our vocabulary – “Climate Gentrification.”
Harvard Graduate School of Design’s Jesse M. Keenan, lecturer in architecture and urban development coined the phrase because there is emerging evidence that supports the theory of economic adaptation. Let’s explain the word “gentrification,” first.
Gentrification is the process of renewal and rebuilding accompanying the influx of middle-class or affluent people into deteriorating areas that often displaces poorer residents.
So looking at Miami, Florida, as an example, the prospect of eventually having to live in submerged houses or drive through water-clogged streets has forced many wealthier residents to begin looking for someplace to live where the elevation above sea level is higher.
Moving further away from the ocean means finding a property that will cost less than beachfront property, simply because of the real estate values in place now. But here’s what is happening – As the wealthy move inland, property values are increasing while beachfront property values are dropping.
“To be on the beach and to be on the water costs a lot more money, and the cheaper parts of town were furthest from the beach—but it just turns out that the cheapest parts of town farthest from the beach are the highest elevation, and now they’re worth a lot more than they used to be,” Keenan told Scientific American in May this year.
Keenan went on to say that this movement inland will fuel the acceleration of speculative investment, fueling gentrification and eventually, displacement of lower-economic status families. Keenan cites Copenhagen, where resilience investments ended up forcing out the residents the investments were supposed to help.
This sort of climate gentrification has now brought up several questions that city officials and city planners will need to address, including affordable housing, environmental justice, and infrastructure investment. These challenges can also be turned into opportunities, especially now that so many more cities are working to attain the status of “smart city.”
As for Miami, local ABC News affiliate WMAR Baltimore notes that many neighborhoods in Miami previously denied financial services by lenders are now quickly gaining value. In Galveston, Texas, 569 public housing buildings were destroyed by two different hurricanes several years ago. The city stalled for seven years in appropriating the billions of dollars needed to rebuild them. Many people saw this as a reason to keep public housing from coming back.
But climate change and rising sea levels are forecast to drive a migration of over 13 million Americans inland by 2100, or at least the ones who can afford to move, in essence, reshaping the population. We will see the beginning of this climate-induced migration begin within 30 years. The movement of people from coastal areas won’t happen en masse, but in increments over a period of time.
And with so much of the nation’s infrastructure in need of repair and upgrading, taking into account an influx in the population of many cities should be a part of the discussion. Nine states could see a net population loss, including Massachusetts, South Carolina, California, Virginia, New Jersey, Louisiana, and Florida.
