Sustainability Myth: Environmental Gentrification and the Politics of Justice

In The Sustainability Myth, Melissa Checker exposes the hidden costs and contradictions of sustainable policies in New York City's ambitious redevelopment agenda. She focuses on industrial waterfronts and historically underserved places like Harlem and Staten Islands North Shore, documenting the symbiosis between eco-friendly initiatives and high-end redevelopment and its impact on non-gentrifying neighborhoods.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 280 pages
Publication date: 27 October 2020
Publisher: New York University Press

Winner of the 2021 Delmos Jones and Jagna Sharff Memorial Prize for the Critical Study of North America!

Uncovers the hidden costs and contradictions of sustainable policies in an era driven by real estate development. From state-of-the-art parks to rooftop gardens, efforts to transform New York City's unsightly industrial waterfronts into green, urban oases have received much public attention. In The Sustainability Myth, Melissa Checker uncovers the hidden costs—and contradictions—of the city's ambitious sustainability agenda in light of its equally ambitious redevelopment imperatives. Focusing on industrial waterfronts and historically underserved places like Harlem and Staten Islands' North Shore, Checker takes an in-depth look at the dynamics of environmental gentrification, documenting the symbiosis between eco-friendly initiatives and high-end redevelopment and its impact on out-of-the-way, non-gentrifying neighborhoods. At the same time, she highlights the valiant efforts of local environmental justice activists who work across racial, economic, and political divides to challenge sustainability's false promises and create truly viable communities.

The Sustainability Myth is a cautionary, eye-opening tale, taking a hard—but ultimately hopeful—look at environmental justice activism and the politics of sustainability.

Weight: 428g
Dimension: 152 x 228 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781479855278