Undergraduate Research: An Archive - 2022 Program

URBAN PLANNING AND
SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES
THESIS TITLE
The Branching Effects
of Urban Green Spaces:
Analyzing Inequitable
Distribution and
Gentrification in New
York City
ADVISER
Joan Monras, Visiting
Research Scholar,
Economics and the
International
Economics Section,
Lecturer in Economics
Richard Ma ’22
ECONOMICS
Certificate in Environmental Studies
Urban green spaces are increasingly touted as a
measure to increase the health of city residents.
At the same time, cities are turning to greenspace
projects as economic incentives, inspired
by successful projects such as New York’s
High Line. Scholars, however, are concerned
that urban green spaces may not be equitably
distributed and may lead to gentrification. My
research examined overall green spaces in New
York City by looking at geospatial data of tree
canopy and grass/shrub cover in 2010 and 2017.
For each year, I investigated the relationship
on a block-group level between green space and
a number of socioeconomic factors: median
income, the percentage of people with a
bachelor’s degree or higher, median rent, and
the percentage of white residents. I performed a
difference-in-difference regression for the change
between 2010 and 2017 to identify potential
gentrifying trends. I quantified inequities that
occur and the relationships between a block
group’s change in green space and its change
in demographics. This study expanded on the
current literature by examining the interactions
between green space and demographics at a
detailed block group level, which at this level
quantifies the relationships between green space
and various socioeconomic factors.
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