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Cited by 74Environmental Justice and Health DisparitiesHousing Market and EconomicsUrban, Neighborhood, and Segregation Studies

A spatial analysis of climate gentrification in Orleans Parish, Louisiana post-Hurricane Katrina

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Aune, Kyle T., Gesch, Dean, Smith, Genee S.·2020·Environmental Research
DOI 10.1016/j.envres.2020.109384PMC PMC9045591
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Abstract

Background: Hurricane Katrina made landfall in New Orleans, Louisiana as a Category 3 storm in August 2005. Storm surges, levee failures, and the low-lying nature of New Orleans led to widespread flooding, damage to over 70% of occupied housing, and evacuation of 80–90% of city residents. Only 57% of the city's black population has returned. Many residents complain of gentrification following rebuilding efforts. Climate gentrification is a recently described phenomenon whereby the effects of climate change, most notably rising sea levels and more frequent flooding and storm surges, alter housing values in a way that leads to gentrification. Objective: To examine the climate gentrification following hurricane Katrina by (1) estimating the associations between flooding severity, ground elevation, and gentrification and (2) whether these relationships are modified by neighborhood level pre- and post-storm sociodemographic factors. Methods: Lidar data collected in 2002 were used to determine elevation. Water gauge height of Lake Ponchartrain was used to estimate flood depth. Using census tracts as a proxy for neighborhoods, demographic, housing, and economic data from the 2000 decennial census and the 2010 and 2015 American Community Survey 5-year estimates US Census records were used to determine census tracts considered eligible for gentrification (median income < 2000 Orleans Parish median income). A gentrification index was created using tract changes in education level, population above the poverty limit, and median household income. Proportional odds ordinal logistic regression was used with product terms to test for effect measure modification by sociodemographic factors. Results: Census tracts eligible for gentrification in 2000 were 80.2% black. Median census tract flood depth was significantly lower in areas eligible to undergo gentrification (0.70 m vs. 1.03 m). Residents of gentrification-eligible tracts in 2000 were significantly more likely to be black, less educated, lower income, unemployed, and rent their home rather than own. In 2015 in these same eligible tracts, areas that underwent gentrification became significantly whiter, more educated, higher income, less unemployed, and more likely to live in a multi-unit dwelling. Gentrification was inversely associated with flood depth and directly associated with ground elevation in eligible tracts. Marginal effect modification was detected by the effect of pre-storm black race on the relationships of flood depth and elevation with gentrification. Conclusions: Gentrification was strongly associated with higher ground elevation in New Orleans. These results provide evidence to support the idea of climate gentrification described in other low-elevation major metropolitan areas like Miami, FL. High elevation, low-income, demographically transitional areas in particular - that is areas that more closely resemble high-income area demographics, may be vulnerable to future climate gentrification.

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  • Housing continues to be built in riskier areas and with less resilient materials, including new construction of affordable housing.

    “Moreover, housing continues to be built in riskier areas and with less resilient materials, including new construction of affordable housing.[180][181][182]”

    From NPCC4: Advancing climate justice in climate adaptation strategies for New York City (2024) · cites this paper as [182]

    The Discussion (page unavailable) says the study considered homes constructed after Hurricane Katrina, supporting the limited point that new housing was built. It does not establish that this housing was built in riskier areas, used less resilient materials, or included new affordable housing. (LLM, conf=0.82)

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Research works printed but not linked: 6

  1. Friedland CJ, 2009. Reisdential Building Damage from Hurrican Storm Surge: Proposed Methodologies to Describe, Assess and Model Building Damage. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, pp. 215. Doctor of Philosophy. Louisiana State University.
  2. Graumann A,, 2005. Hurricane Katrina, A Climatological Perspective October 2005. pp. 1– 28 Updated August 2006. Asheville, NC.
  3. Martin C, Teles D, 2018. Problems with Damage Assessments Can Keep Disaster Victims from Receiving the Help They Need, vol. 2020 Urban Institute.
  4. NOAA, 2013. National Coastal Population Report: Population Trends from 1970 to 2020. NOAA's State of the Coast, pp. 1– 20.
  5. U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 2006. Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf Coast. Mitigation Assessment Team Report: Building Performance Observations, Recommendations, and Technical Guidance. pp. 1– 26.
  6. U.S. Department of Housing,Urban Development, 2020. Fair Market Rents and FY2016 Income Limits Summary System, vol. 2020. pp. FY2016.

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Authors
Aune, K. T., Gesch, D., & Smith, G. S.
Affiliations
  • Johns Hopkins University (US)
  • United States Geological Survey (US)
ORCID
Venue
Environmental Research
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2020-06
Volume
185
Pages
109384
ISSN
0013-9351 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.envres.2020.109384
PMC
PMC9045591
OpenAlex
W3011838731
Semantic Scholar
13a6eecafe5aa5b91248546f7a36cd3f3e80aefd
Cited by
74
References
46
Citations by year
2026: 9 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 24 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 8
FWCI
14.71
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Environmental Research (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
National Institutes of Health (T32ES007141-34)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Environmental Justice and Health Disparities
  • Social Sciences › Economics, Econometrics and Finance › Economics and Econometrics › Housing Market and Economics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Urban, Neighborhood, and Segregation Studies
Keywords
climate gentrification, Hurricane Katrina, inundation depth, terrain elevation, LiDAR elevation data, racial segregation, effect modification, Orleans Parish, New Orleans, residential property values, sea level rise, Black residents, median household income, housing tenure, multi-family housing
MeSH terms
Cities, Humans, Louisiana, New Orleans, Cyclonic Storms, Spatial Analysis

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