Gentrification processes and neighborhood liveability in Madrid and Brisbane: impact on population health and development of urban policy recommendations

ended

Where we live has a major impact on our health; indeed, 23% of global deaths are caused by modifiable environmental factors. The New Urban Agenda has inserted the ambition for liveable cities (those that promote active living and health of its citizens) as a priority to improve population health and wellbeing globally. However, liveability attributes carry a risk of ‘unintended consequences’ that can widen health inequities, especially when market-oriented regulatory processes and uneven dynamics of policy formation are at play. For instance, enhancing the liveability of a neighbourhood might increase housing prices and, in turn, provoke urban displacement of the most vulnerable, stimulating gentrification. Thus, the aim of the GentriHealth project is to generate policy-relevant evidence for the relationships between neighbourhood liveability, gentrification, and health. Specifically, the GentriHealth project has four objectives that seek to: 1. Identify gentrification-related urban planning policies and legislation in Madrid, Spain 2. Investigate the relationship between gentrification and changes in neighbourhood liveability 3. Examine how gentrification impacts the health of ‘stayers’ and ‘movers’, and whether this differs by gender and socioeconomic status 4. Work with policy-makers to develop policy-relevant solutions to reduce the potentially harmful effects of gentrification The GentriHealth project will be based at RMIT (Australia) and UAH (Spain). This project will use data on gentrification, liveability, and health from the HABITAT and the ERC-granted HeartHealthyHoods projects. This project will combine quantitative and qualitative data, mixed methods analysis ang GIS integration of data. Through a multidisciplinary approach and using a gender perspective, the GentriHealth project will generate evidence in order to develop policy-relevant solutions to allow neighbourhoods to become more liveable but not become gentrified.