This SpringerBrief brings together a series of studies that delve into the details of French and Israeli green building practices and tell a tale of two countries which deviates considerably from what first impressions might suggest. In-depth data analysis, interviews with stakeholders, and on-the-ground documentation are used to paint a portrait of green neighborhoods in both large and small cities, and to shed light on the diversity of outcomes and the intricate web of interests leading to each one. In the Israeli cases, these dynamics reflect the fact that the private sector has become increasingly dominant in the residential building field, following a decades-long process in which the welfare state has shrunk, and the government has distanced itself from large social programs.The French solution to this dilemma is to mandate the inclusion of subsidized housing within its ecoquartiers, with the declared aim of promoting a diverse 'social mix' of population. Green building has yet to prove itself as a solution for the masses. The sale price of an apartment in a certified green building is significantly higher than what would be justified by either the additional construction costs required to build it, or the energy and water saving potential that can be realized by using it. The tale of two countries presented here suggests that neither the mechanisms of the market nor the proclamations of a welfare state can easily overcome this dilemma. What is needed is a new type of thinking, which can only emerge once the concept of "value" reflects not only the realities of a free-market economy, but also those of a planet which turns out to be distinctly limited in its resources.

Green Gentrification looks at the social consequences of urban "greening" from an environmental justice and sustainable development perspective. Through a comparative examination of five cases of urban greening in Brooklyn, New York, it demonstrates that such initiatives, while positive for the environment, tend to increase inequality and thus undermine the social pillar of sustainable development. Although greening is ostensibly intended to improve environmental conditions in neighborhoods, it generates green gentrification that pushes out the working-class, and people of color, and attracts white, wealthier in-migrants. Simply put, urban greening "richens and whitens," remaking the city for the sustainability class. Without equity-oriented public policy intervention, urban greening is negatively redistributive in global cities. This book argues that environmental injustice outcomes are not inevitable. Early public policy interventions aimed at neighborhood stabilization can create more just sustainability outcomes. It highlights the negative social consequences of green growth coalition efforts to green the global city, and suggests policy choices to address them. The book applies the lessons learned from green gentrification in Brooklyn to urban greening initiatives globally. It offers comparison with other greening global cities. This is a timely and original book for all those studying environmental justice, urban planning, environmental sociology, and sustainable development as well as urban environmental activists, city planners and policy makers interested in issues of urban greening and gentrification.

While global urban development increasingly takes on the mantle of sustainability and "green urbanism," both the ecological and equity impacts of these developments are often overlooked. One result is what has been called environmental gentrification, a process in which environmental improvements lead to increased property values and the displacement of long-term residents. The specter of environmental gentrification is now at the forefront of urban debates about how to accomplish environmental improvements without massive displacement. In this context, the editors of this volume identified a strategy called "just green enough" based on field work in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, that uncouples environmental cleanup from high-end residential and commercial development. A "just green enough" strategy focuses explicitly on social justice and environmental goals as defined by local communities, those people who have been most negatively affected by environmental disamenities, with the goal of keeping them in place to enjoy any environmental improvements. It is not about short-changing communities, but about challenging the veneer of green that accompanies many projects with questionable ecological and social justice impacts, and looking for alternative, sometimes surprising, forms of greening such as creating green spaces and ecological regeneration within protected industrial zones. Just Green Enough is a theoretically rigorous, practical, global, and accessible volume exploring, through varied case studies, the complexities of environmental improvement in an era of gentrification as global urban policy. It is ideal for use as a textbook at both undergraduate and graduate levels in urban planning, urban studies, urban geography, and sustainability programs.

Cover -- Half Title -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Table of Contents -- List of illustrations -- Acknowledgements -- 1 Urban greening and social sustainability in a global context -- 2 Conceptualizing green gentrification -- 3 Prospect Park: from social hazard to environmental amenity -- 4 Brooklyn Bridge Park: from abandoned docks to destination park -- 5 The Gowanus Canal: from open sewer to the Venice of Brooklyn -- 6 Contested spaces: Bush Terminal Park and Bushwick Inlet Park -- 7 Making urban greening sustainable -- Index

'This book re-addresses the concepts of neighbourhood and community in a refreshing and challenging way. It will be of immense benefit, not only to town planners but also to al those professional and voluntary groups and politicians who seek to create the new communities of tomorrow' From the Foreword by Jed Griffiths, Past President of the Royal Town Planning Institute. There is widespread support for the principle of creating more sustainable communities, but much hazy, wishful-thinking about what this might mean in practice. In reality, we witness more the death of local neighbourhoods than their creation or rejuvenation, reflecting an increasingly mobile, privatized and commodified society. Sustainable Communities examines the practicalities of re-inventing neighbourhoods. It is neither an idealistic, utopian tract nor a designer's manual, but is, rather, a serious attempt to address the real issues. This collection of expert contributions: * examines the nature of local community and methods of building social capital * presents the findings of a world-wide survey of eco-neighbourhoods and eco-villages with case studies from the United Kingdom, Europe, America and Australia * develops a fresh perspective on the planning and design of neighbourhoods in urban areas, based on the eco-system approach * explores practical programmes for local resource management and the implications for community-based decision-making * provides a detailed appendix listing current eco-village and eco-neighbourhood schemes by country Written by an interdisciplinary team of social and environmental scientists, town planners and urban designers, this is a thought-provoking and important contribution to both the theory and practice of the development of sustainable communities.