Towards green gentrification? The interplay between residential change, the housing market, and park proximity.

Green gentrification is a potential side effect of the temporal change of green spaces via various improvements. This paper suggests that green gentrification may occur even when green spaces remain unchanged. Spatially-explicit datasets and econometric models were used for this purpose. We found that in the case study city, Lodz (Poland), residential change is linked to the housing market (i.e., the number of property transactions and their prices). However, the strength of this association depends on the proximity to temporarily unchanged parks. We also found that the value of park proximity among housing buyers rises, suggesting the increased desirability of living close to parks, resulting in more intense residential change close to parks than in other locations. Therefore, scholars should consider green gentrification as a process that may be induced by time (in)variant green spaces. More emphasis is needed in housing studies to explore how changing residential preferences are related to gentrification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]