Climate Gentrification – How Rising Sea Levels Are Shaping Urban Displacement

Abstract

As sea levels rise due to climate change, a new form of displacement is reshaping urban landscapes: climate gentrification. This paper explores how higher-elevation neighborhoods in coastal cities are becoming more desirable and expensive, pushing low-income and historically marginalized communities out of areas once seen as undesirable. Focusing on case studies such as Miami’s Little Haiti and New Orleans’ Gentilly neighborhood, the research highlights how economic, environmental, and social factors intersect to create a new wave of urban inequality. Using climate data, housing trends, and policy analysis, the study examines the role of government planning in either mitigating or accelerating these shifts. The paper concludes with recommendations for equitable urban resilience strategies that account for both climate adaptation and housing justice.