Health Justice, Equal Housing, and Green Displacement

The purpose of the presentation is to discuss strategies and tools to improve access to healthy affordable housing and avoid displacement as communities become greener, more desirable, and more expensive. When low-income... [ view full abstract ]

The purpose of the presentation is to discuss strategies and tools to improve access to healthy affordable housing and avoid displacement as communities become greener, more desirable, and more expensive.

When low-income people and people of color successfully make their neighborhoods more desirable places to live, they are susceptible to gentrification and displacement as rents increase and new development pushes prices up. Small and diverse businesses risk losing their leases. Rising housing costs undermine equitable access to neighborhoods offering health and quality of life benefits such as good schools, safety, walkability, green space, and healthy food.

Displacement often has racial and cultural dimensions. In communities with longstanding African-American, Latino, or Asian populations, residents may experience the loss of homes, businesses, and institutions, and the erosion of the cultural fabric and social networks in their neighborhood. These losses lead to unstable communities and less healthy individuals. Housing is one of the primary determinants of health. Displacement exacerbates health inequities, disproportionately affecting communities of color, low-income communities, children, women, and the elderly.

Gentrification and displacement are already occurring along the Los Angeles River in response to widely publicized government plans to revitalize 11 miles of the 52-mile river. For example, in the northeast L.A. community of Elysian Valley, developers have been buying up properties near the river. Residents report rents raised as much as 60%, increased evictions, and growing distrust in government planning efforts. The primary population in this area is people of color, immigrants, children, and the working poor.

We are creating new policy and legal solutions that address health equity, housing, and displacement, working with federal officials, business, academics, and community organizations. We utilize GIS (geographical information system) mapping and demographic analyses, as well as legal tools including civil rights and environmental justice laws and principles.