Next City
Razing Liberty Square: On Writing the Playbook to Fight Gentrification
August 6, 2025 · 39 min
Why listen
A Miami community shows how rising seas push wealth inland and displace Black residents in real time.
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In this episode
- How climate change is creating a new form of racial injustice in cities
- What a $300 million revitalization plan actually means for existing residents
- How one resident turned local activism into a broader fight against displacement
- Why sea level rise is a housing justice issue, not just an environmental one
About this episode
The documentary "Razing Liberty Square” shows what happens in Miami as sea levels rise and the rich move inland, encroaching on residents of the Liberty Square public housing project. The film tells the story of a historically Black community faced with a $300-million-dollar “revitalization” of their neighborhood. In this episode, hear from a resident and climate activist, Valencia Gunder, who says she’s fighting a new form of racial injustice: climate gentrification.
About Next City
Join Lucas Grindley, executive director at Next City, where we believe journalists have the power to amplify solutions and spread workable ideas. Each week Lucas will sit down with trailblazers to discuss urban issues that get overlooked.
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