Miami's Climate Gentrification

I've discussed Miami's real estate on a number of occasions.  What is happening there is reaching a new level, climate gentrification.

Miami residents welcome historic climate gentrification resolution.  Neighborhoods on higher ground are becoming more desirable.

In what is being called the first of its kind, Mayor Francis Suarez quietly signed a resolution last month to address climate gentrification in Miami.

Climate gentrification is where lower rent neighborhoods are being invaded by people from the higher rent neighborhoods threatened by rising sea levels. 

Climate gentrification has been used to describe the phenomenon of wealthy residents relocating from once desirable locations along the coast, which are now vulnerable to climate impacts like sea-level rise, and moving to more secure locations. This in turn pushes out pre-existing communities, often lower-income people of color, many of whom are immigrants.

Miami is trying to do something about climate gentrification.

The resolution, which has mostly flown under the radar and was first widely shared by E&E News, directs the city manager to designate city staff to research the issue of climate gentrification in the city, or the phenomenon of any gentrifying areas further away from the coastline located at higher elevation.


The focus of designated staff will be on “areas that exhibit low area mean income rates and high topographic elevations,” with the intent of helping Miami to take measures to ensure that pre-existing populations can remain in the city even as rising seas push residents further inland.

 Miami's Little Haiti is being hard hit

Climate gentrification is nothing new for Little Haiti. As ThinkProgress reported in August, the neighborhood — known for its thriving diaspora culture and hard-won way of life — has been suffering under the weight of soaring housing costs. Unable to afford rent and bowing to pressure from perspective buyers, many residents are being forced to leave. They are being replaced by whiter, wealthier occupants seeking to move away from Miami’s receding shoreline and towards higher ground.

But Bolson, who is affiliated with the Florida Climate Institute, sounded an optimistic note; with Miami already facing the impacts of climate change, Bolson said, the vulnerable city has an opportunity to serve as a model.

“Hopefully, [since] we’ll be the first ones to actually deal with these problems,” she said, “we’ll lead the way for how to address them.”

The Guardian posted an article showing that this is happening all over,

A pattern of climate-driven gentrification is taking hold across the US, as those who are able to retreat from floods, storms, heatwaves and wildfires shift to safer areas, bringing soaring property and rental values with them.