Increased human-centric requirements could turn the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program (LEED) into a sustainable development tool for cities through mitigation of gentrification. Green building rating systems, like LEED, were designed with environmental sustainability in mind. Sustainability holistically however is about preserving the environment, economics, and equity. A scoping literature review confirmed that LEED is used for energy efficiency and greening developments (preserving the environment). However, research also revealed that LEED has potential to mitigate gentrification (preserving economics and equity) if credits were adjusted, or the program was paired with policy, to have increased focus on affordability, maintaining local culture, and preventing resident displacement. Further conclusions based on literature could not be made due to a gap in research surrounding LEED programs and gentrification. Gentrification is a contemporary event that occurs from any type of land development; but more quantitative research surrounding gentrification-related variables could help guide LEED and policies towards what metrics would likely help reduce resident displacement. A longitudinal case study of Arlington County, Virginia paired with spatial modeling was performed with census-level data. The results demonstrated how LEED impacts onto gentrification-related variables could be measured. Accompanying census-level data with localized surveys in future studies could then provide more context to how gentrification impacts specific neighborhoods. This research establishes a methodological foundation for future studies to analyze these complex relationships between third-party green certification programs and gentrification. The code and related datasets for this study were uploaded to the Open Science Framework (OSF) (DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/G3HCV) to help foster those next steps for not just other researchers in this space, but also localities. Localities, which currently utilize LEED and related programs in their development policies, could adapt this framework to help establish social and economic assistance programs to aid in making a more sustainable environment for residents without adjusting LEED itself. / Master of Science / The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program (LEED) was developed to help the environment, but with some changes it may also be used to try and reduce gentrification in cities. Gentrification is a contemporary event that occurs from any type of land development. Gentrification is when people with lower-than-average incomes can no longer afford to live in an area and are replaced by those with significantly higher incomes. The push out of these areas comes in many forms, but most commonly is seen as a steep rise in rent increases. Existing research had not been able to easily measure gentrification, making it difficult to tell what causes it aside from developing areas; but more research into LEED may have shed some light on how cities can develop in a more people-centric way. LEED, and similar green building certifications, are used as guidelines for developing land (e.g., homes, offices, schools, factories) to be more environmentally friendly. However, just because a project is green, doesn't mean that it's sustainable or immune from common problems that can arise from land development projects – such as gentrification. With adjustments, the LEED program could achieve more sustainable metrics which could help mitigate resultant gentrification. In the first stage of this research, a broader selection of previously published research was investigated to understand the relationship between LEED-certified green infrastructure and gentrification. Through this investigation, the gap in the research was found to be larger than anticipated. The gap also points out how LEED would need to be adjusted or paired with policy changes to reach sustainability. However, how can we tell what changes need to be made? This research created models for Arlington County, Virginia that demonstrated how LEED impacts on gentrification-related variables could be studied; this is something that will need to be investigated further prior to informing policy as it is unique to each location. Focusing on gentrification-related variables by pairing census-level data with localized surveys would enable a broader understanding of the impact of a LEED project on the community in which it's located. This deeper dive would then assist in creating that policy for Arlington County to pair with LEED in efforts to create sustainable developments. Each city is unique in how they grow, which is why it is important that we figure out how these cities gentrify and create policies tailored to each of them. This research establishes a methodological foundation for future studies in other localities, with the code and datasets being publicly available on the Open Science Framework (OSF) (DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/G3HCV). OSF provides researchers a platform to continue developing the methods analyzing these complex relationships between third-party green certification programs and gentrification, whether it be in a small town or a larger city. Localities, which utilize LEED and related programs in their development policies, could establish social and economic assistance programs to aid in making a more sustainable environment for residents without adjusting LEED itself.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/121045 |
| Date | 30 August 2024 |
| Creators | Newcomb, Morgan Ji Hae |
| Contributors | Civil and Environmental Engineering, Paige, Frederick Eugene, Hancock, Kathleen, Over, Sarah Elizabeth |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | ETD, application/pdf |
| Rights | In Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
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