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The Sustainability Myth: Environmental Gentrification and the Politics of Justice
WINNER OF THE 2021 DELMOS JONES AND JAGNA SHARFF MEMORIAL PRIZE FOR THE CRITICAL STUDY OF NORTH AMERICA!
Uncovers the hidden costs and contradictions of sustainable policies in an era driven by real estate development
From state-of-the-art parks to rooftop gardens, efforts to transform New York City’s unsightly industrial waterfronts into green, urban oases have received much public attention. In The Sustainability Myth , Melissa Checker uncovers the hidden costs―and contradictions―of the city’s ambitious sustainability agenda in light of its equally ambitious redevelopment imperatives.
Focusing on industrial waterfronts and historically underserved places like Harlem and Staten Island’s North Shore, Checker takes an in-depth look at the dynamics of environmental gentrification, documenting the symbiosis between eco-friendly initiatives and high-end redevelopment and its impact on out-of-the-way, non-gentrifying neighborhoods. At the same time, she highlights the valiant efforts of local environmental justice activists who work across racial, economic, and political divides to challenge sustainability’s false promises and create truly viable communities.
The Sustainability Myth is a cautionary, eye-opening tale, taking a hard―but ultimately hopeful―look at environmental justice activism and the politics of sustainability.
Uncovers the hidden costs and contradictions of sustainable policies in an era driven by real estate development
From state-of-the-art parks to rooftop gardens, efforts to transform New York City’s unsightly industrial waterfronts into green, urban oases have received much public attention. In The Sustainability Myth , Melissa Checker uncovers the hidden costs―and contradictions―of the city’s ambitious sustainability agenda in light of its equally ambitious redevelopment imperatives.
Focusing on industrial waterfronts and historically underserved places like Harlem and Staten Island’s North Shore, Checker takes an in-depth look at the dynamics of environmental gentrification, documenting the symbiosis between eco-friendly initiatives and high-end redevelopment and its impact on out-of-the-way, non-gentrifying neighborhoods. At the same time, she highlights the valiant efforts of local environmental justice activists who work across racial, economic, and political divides to challenge sustainability’s false promises and create truly viable communities.
The Sustainability Myth is a cautionary, eye-opening tale, taking a hard―but ultimately hopeful―look at environmental justice activism and the politics of sustainability.
280 pages, Paperback
Published October 27, 2020
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About the author
Melissa Checker
7 books4 followers
For fiction works, please see Melissa Checker.
Dr. Melissa Checker (PhD NYU, 2002) is a member of the Urban Studies Department at Queens College. Her research focuses on grassroots environmental justice activism, the politics of urban sustainability, and post-disaster recovery on Staten Island. She is the author of Polluted Promises: Environmental Racism and the Search for Justice in a Southern Town (NYU Press, 2005) which won the 2007 Association for Humanistic Sociology Book Award and was a finalist for the Julian Steward Award and the Delmos Jones and Jagna Sharff Memorial Book Prize. She also co-edited the upcoming volume, Sustainability in the Global City: Myth and Practice (with Cynthia Isenhour and Gary McDonogh, Cambridge 2014) and she co-edited (with Maggie Fishman) Local Actions: Cultural Activism, Power and Public Life (Columbia U Press, 2004), In addition, she has authored a number of academic articles and book chapters, as well as articles for popular magazines and newspapers. She was one of the original co-editors of the “Public Anthropology Reviews” section of the American Anthropologist.
Checker serves as the Advisor for the Environmental Studies Major/Minor Program. She teaches the Department’s introductory course, Urban Poverty and Affluence, as well as courses on Urban Environments and Environmentalism, Contemporary Urban Theory, and Service Learning Practicum. She is the Faculty Advisor to the Urban Studies Club.
Dr. Melissa Checker (PhD NYU, 2002) is a member of the Urban Studies Department at Queens College. Her research focuses on grassroots environmental justice activism, the politics of urban sustainability, and post-disaster recovery on Staten Island. She is the author of Polluted Promises: Environmental Racism and the Search for Justice in a Southern Town (NYU Press, 2005) which won the 2007 Association for Humanistic Sociology Book Award and was a finalist for the Julian Steward Award and the Delmos Jones and Jagna Sharff Memorial Book Prize. She also co-edited the upcoming volume, Sustainability in the Global City: Myth and Practice (with Cynthia Isenhour and Gary McDonogh, Cambridge 2014) and she co-edited (with Maggie Fishman) Local Actions: Cultural Activism, Power and Public Life (Columbia U Press, 2004), In addition, she has authored a number of academic articles and book chapters, as well as articles for popular magazines and newspapers. She was one of the original co-editors of the “Public Anthropology Reviews” section of the American Anthropologist.
Checker serves as the Advisor for the Environmental Studies Major/Minor Program. She teaches the Department’s introductory course, Urban Poverty and Affluence, as well as courses on Urban Environments and Environmentalism, Contemporary Urban Theory, and Service Learning Practicum. She is the Faculty Advisor to the Urban Studies Club.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 4, 2020
Very well researched with a refreshing perspective. Checker provides a alternative stance to the popularized path to sustainability by shining a light on how the approaches promoted through popular figures in government and the world at large disproportionately impacts lower-income communities. Definitely recommend to friends old and young.
March 19, 2025
There is no winning under capitalism. Save the environment = gentrification and hurting marginalized peoples. Not doing this = everybody dies but the Mars trillionaires. Choose your evil.
In all seriousness this was a very thorough look at Green Gentrification in New York City, examining how different policies have pushed people further to the margins of society in efforts to beautify the city and make it more environmentally friendly.
Parts of the book felt like they were written with only New York City residents/Americans in mind as readers. My Canadian self does not inherently understand the implications of certain governing bodies by last name alone and there were sections of this book I had to do additional research for in order to understand the full context.
Other than that, this was a book that was already on my radar to read before I had to pick it up for class and is definitely the best one I have had to read all semester. Cheers!
In all seriousness this was a very thorough look at Green Gentrification in New York City, examining how different policies have pushed people further to the margins of society in efforts to beautify the city and make it more environmentally friendly.
Parts of the book felt like they were written with only New York City residents/Americans in mind as readers. My Canadian self does not inherently understand the implications of certain governing bodies by last name alone and there were sections of this book I had to do additional research for in order to understand the full context.
Other than that, this was a book that was already on my radar to read before I had to pick it up for class and is definitely the best one I have had to read all semester. Cheers!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews