Greening Urban Renewal

Abstract

This article uses a case study of Spokane, Washington’s preparations for Expo ’74 to examine the environmental dimensions of urban renewal. Scholars often think of urban renewal as a planning project influenced by distinct racial exclusion, economic development, and urban design strategies. However, this article shows how environmental strategies—particularly the rise of urban environmentalism and the production of urban green space—had on urban renewal processes. As Spokane’s downtown elites planned for the environmentally themed World’s Fair, they used environmental strategies not only to promote the fair and the city but also to displace low-income residents and transform the downtown riverfront landscape. Understanding how the environment has been used by powerful groups as a tool of social power not only yields insights into the history of urban renewal in the 1960s and early 1970s but also highlights potential pitfalls in contemporary urban sustainability planning.