Conversations with Olmsted: Green Gentrification
According to The Trust for Public Land, one in three Americans does not have a public park within a 10-minute walk from home. This dismal statistic helps put into perspective just how important it is for communities to invest in parks and park improvement projects and champion Olmsted’s vision of parks for all people.
But as cities realize and harness the transformative power of park-building, there are challenges. One is green gentrification, the often-debated phenomenon caused by environmental planning that excludes or displaces politically-disenfranchised residents.
Frederick Law Olmsted and the Olmsted firms frequently emphasized the correlation between public green space and increased property values. In the 19th century, this was a selling point, but today, this same argument is sometimes used to condemn the rejuvenation of parks around the country.
Join Olmsted 200 to closely examine this phenomenon in Conversations with Olmsted: Green Gentrification. Does park-making and park-upgrading cause displacement? And, if so, how can we address this? Is it possible to renew public green spaces while ensuring neighbors can afford to remain in their homes? As communities now start to employ infrastructure dollars, how can the money be used to reunite neighborhoods, promote equity and economic growth, and revitalize important urban centers? It promises to be a riveting panel discussion!
Time: 15:00 EST/20:00 GMT
