Research Symposium

BIO

Calla Curry is a second-year student from Orlando, Florida. She is studying sociology and urban planning, with the intent to pursue graduate school in urban and regional planning. Her research interests generally revolve around housing policy. In addition to the undergraduate research opportunity, she is engaged in research on the interplay of religion and emotion in 19th-century women.

How Cities are Preparing for Climate Gentrification: A Case Study of South St. Petersburg Florida

Abstract

This exploratory case study examines climate gentrification in St. Petersburg, Florida. Specifically, the study focuses on the South St. Petersburg area. This low socioeconomic and minority neighborhood is on higher ground and outside the coastal high hazard area. We posit that when the immediate impacts of climate change become more apparent in St. Petersburg, such as flooding, tropical storms, and subsequent high insurance costs, those living near the more expensive coastal areas will migrate inland towards areas that are less vulnerable to climate change related impacts, such as the South St. Pete area. This may drive up the cost of living in this area, effectively pricing longtime residents, who are largely renters, out of the community. Through this study, we have engaged in interviews with urban planners, public managers, nonprofit agencies, and private developers who work in South St. Pete. The goal is to understand how climate gentrification influences their decision making, if at all. We find officials have largely acknowledged the concept’s legitimacy, but haven’t witnessed it informing decisions in South St. Pete. They affirm that the neighborhood is gentrifying, but not that the climate is motivating this change. They point to other issues impacting housing prices, such as the historic Gas Plant redevelopment, the Live Local Act, and St. Pete’s relatively robust affordable housing policy arena. These findings indicate a need for greater awareness of how climate change and housing costs interact at the local level in St. Petersburg.

Keywords: Climate change, gentrification, affordable housing