Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Environmental Gentrification In Chicago: Perceptions, Dilemmas And Paths Forward, Colette Copic, Tania Schusler, Amy Krings

School of Environmental Sustainability: Faculty Publications and Other Works

This research sheds light on perceptions of environmental gentrification in Chicago. It also identifies policies and practices that hold potential to promote environmentally healthy neighborhoods and equitable development without displacement.

Executive Summary

Purpose

Access to greenspace, clean air, water, food, and safe, affordable, and stable housing are all important to good health. Yet, low income and communities of color endure disproportionate pollution burdens that negatively affect health. While cleaning up contamination or implementing “green” improvements like parks, playgrounds, bike trails, and other greenspaces can reduce health disparities, these environmental improvements sometimes contribute to rising rents and property values, which can …

Storefront: Local Businesses Acting Locally In Two Chicago Neighborhoods, Steven Tuttle

Dissertations

Local businesses occupy an important role in society and the American imagination. Entrepreneurialism is valorized and €œmain street€ is often used as a populist shorthand in discussions of €œregular Americans.€ While sociologists and the lay public often identify the opening of new, higher-end businesses as an indication of impending gentrification, few sociological studies examine commercial gentrification or call into question relationships between local businesses and urban communities. This is a study of the roles and experiences of local businesses in two gentrifying neighborhoods in Chicago. Drawing upon ethnographic observation and qualitative interviews, I examine the role of local businesses in …