Green gentrification and contemporary capitalist production of space: notes from Brazil

Abstract

The concept of green gentrification has gained strength in studies from the United States and Europe, especially those related to urban parks and green infrastructure. In Latin America, the use of the concept is still restricted. This study assesses whether the concept coined in the Global North can be applied to the context of the most urbanized Global South region and reflects on the uses, possibilities and limitations of this concept, particularly in the case of Brazil. Three illustrative cases in Brazil were chosen to discuss and test the green gentrification concept in the light of whether mediation was required, based on local realities and experiences. Our findings demonstrate that the concept offers insight into the processes observed simultaneously assuming new contours when applied to a southern reality. From a critical perspective, this article shows the need to politicize the relationship between nature and the capitalist production of space in Latin America.

Keywords

• green gentrification
• environmental justice
• political ecology
• Global South
• green inequalities