Environmental Justice for Whom? Brownfield Redevelopment and Gentrification in Chicago 1990-2010

Abstract

Since 1990, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Brownfield Revitalization Program has been used as a mechanism for cleanup and land redevelopment of industrial sites. Historically, low-income people of color live in close proximity to environmental hazards. Dominant narratives on brownfield redevelopment highlight increased property value as a positive economic development outcome for homeowners and reduced urban blight in the neighborhood. However, economically disadvantaged residents living close to redeveloped brownfield sites struggle to afford higher rents as the neighborhoods become more desirable to young professionals and the middle class after redevelopment. The city of Chicago serves as a good place to study the relationship between brownfield redevelopment and gentrification. This study uses geospatial quantitative techniques as well as qualitative methods to explore this relationship in Chicago. As scholars and activists aim to achieve environmental justice, it is important to address the economic and social implications of brownfield revitalization.