Assessing a greening tool through the lens of green gentrification: Socio-spatial change around the Nation's Gardens of Istanbul.

The increase in urban population and the accompanying construction activities have brought along many economic, environmental, and social problems. For this reason, greening cities entered urban planning practices. However, these efforts have brought about some equality and justice concerns about whether green spaces are beneficial to certain communities. In parallel with this, there is a recently rising critique of green gentrification in literature. This study explores whether the government's green space policies lead to green gentrification by scrutinizing twelve different "Nation's Gardens" in Istanbul. When the Nation's Gardens were announced, they were defined as open and green spaces that the public can use, have fun, and visit, but revitalizing the idle parts of the city and increasing their value were among its other goals. Within the scope of this research, changes in the social, economic, and demographic structure of the population before and after the establishment of Nation's Gardens are analyzed and mapped by using Geographic Information System technologies. Green gentrification was evidenced in ten of the twelve Nation's Gardens in Istanbul between 2017 and 2021. Our findings reveal that green gentrification trends in Istanbul are prevalent in both central and peripheral neighborhoods. This suggests that the attraction and property value increases brought about by green spaces constitute a city-wide phenomenon, affecting neighborhoods across the spectrum of urban density and socio-economic background. • Greening efforts in cities have brought about some equality and justice concerns. • This study explores if "Nation's Gardens" in Istanbul lead to green gentrification. • Socio-economic and demographic changes are mapped by using GIS. • Green gentrification was observed in ten of the 12 Nation's Gardens in Istanbul. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]