The dramatic revitalizing of Atlanta garnered the admiration of researchers, politicians and government officials. People and businesses flocked to the Downtown area. Restructuring however has come at a cost, and the urban poor, mostly Black, have suffered the negative consequence of revitalization. Before winning the Olympic bid in 1990, Atlanta was plagued with homelessness, dilapidated housing, and high unemployment rates. The 1996 Olympics ushered in revitalization/gentrification (the process of renewal and rebuilding accompanying by the influx of middle-class or affluent people into deteriorating areas that often displace poorer residents), new residential, commercial and mixed-use development projects. The development projects increased the amount of income to the city and new housing choices resulted in an influx of middle-class, generally white professional professionals. The success story omits the displacement of longtime residents; moreover, it omits a group of individual residents—Black professionals—who played a large role in the restructuring and coalition building of the city of Atlanta. During the Civil …show more content…
The second wave of gentrification encompassed young urban, mostly white professionals moving into the city of Atlanta after the 1996 Olympics. The third wave of gentrifiers included Black middle and upper class professionals. I hypothesize that the third wave took place from 2000-2010. The third wave was comprised of middle and upper class Blacks who moved into the inner ring of the city of Atlanta. New construction and increased taxes accompanied the three waves of revitalization in Atlanta. Increases in taxes and property values ultimately forced out most of the long-time lower-income
“Gentrification is a general term for the arrival of wealthier people in an existing urban district, a related increase in rents and property values, and changes in the district's character and culture.” (Grant) In layman’s terms, gentrification is when white people move to a black neighborhood for the sake of cheaper living, and in turn, raise up property values and force black neighbors to leave because of a higher price of living. Commonly, the government supports gentrification with the demolition of public housing in areas that are developing with more white neighbors. This is causing a decreasing amount of African Americans to be able to afford to live in the neighborhood as their homes are taken away from them, forcing them to relocate. Whilst gentrification normally has negative connotations, there are several people who believe gentrification brings about “an upward trend in property values in previously neglected neighborhoods.” (Jerzyk) On the other hand, this new trend in property value and business causes those...
This text also persuades readers about how race is an issue of gentrification. The author’s claims on the issues show that gentrification is mainly influenced by race and income. The writer wrote the text also to show how the media can be influential to be discouraging poor colored communities, criticizing the views on gentrification in those areas. There are some persuasive appeals that are supported by the author in the text. The first is Ethos, he is a credible source in his claims retelling his own experience as a paramedic and how his patient impacted his criticism on how the media portrays the “hood” as being atrocious and worthless in the community. The author also attempts to convince his readers through his own emotions, including specific evidence and claims for his appeals. The second persuasive appeal used is pathos when he explains how these communities are dealt with moving place to place being invaded from their own residence and businesses. The third persuasive appeals he presents is logos, which he describes the situation of the the people being affected by this issue first hand to show the reader it is a mistaken
Another noteworthy urban sociologist that’s invested significant research and time into gentrification is Saskia Sassen, among other topical analysis including globalization. “Gentrification was initially understood as the rehabilitation of decaying and low-income housing by middle-class outsiders in central cities. In the late 1970s a broader conceptualization of the process began to emerge, and by the early 1980s new scholarship had developed a far broader meaning of gentrification, linking it with processes of spatial, economic and social restructuring.” (Sassen 1991: 255). This account is an extract from an influential book that extended beyond the field of gentrification and summarizes its basis proficiently. In more recent and localized media, the release the documentary-film ‘In Jackson Heights’ portrayed the devastation that gentrification is causing as it plagues through Jackson Heights, Queens. One of the local businessmen interviewed is shop owner Don Tobon, stating "We live in a
There have been many changes that have been made in response to what has happened in reference to American Cities. First, there was the Fair housing act. This act helped to stop discrimination against African Americans and other minorities. The purpose of the law is to defend every American’s essential right to fair housing—the choices of where to live and whether to own a home, for instance, it did not take account based on race, disability, and the numerous other threatened
Metro Atlanta is on a collision course with reality – and the shock of this collision will have profound political and economic implications for future growth throughout the Southeast. The core problem is that Atlanta’s runaway growth will soon outstrip the available water supply (Corps, 1998). And if Atlanta continues to increase its water consumption until the maximum limits are reached, the effects on downstream users will become catastrophic, both economically and environmentally.
In his article, “Race and Housing in the Postwar City: An Explosive History,” Raymond Mohl focuses on suburbanization and racial segregation in post-World War II America. Due to discriminatory practices in the housing market,
With the rapid development of the city and tremendous progress of technology in America, gentrification becomes a universal phenomenon in every city, especially in Englewood―the south side of Chicago. As capital begins to flow into the Englewood community, many aspects of daily life are changed for better. The tremendous change brings not only the renovated facilities but arrives with the new retail and service business. Plenty of citizens who live in the Englewood community were benefiting from the gentrification. They also said that gentrification is a commendable change in Englewood to renew and develop. Thus, gentrification is beneficial to local residents because it arrives with the new retail and service business, increases employment opportunities and transform a more beautiful community.
Goetz, Edward G.. New Deal ruins: race, economic justice, and public housing policy. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2013. Print.
Although the Housing Act of 1949 was passed with good intentions it can be seen that it lead to unforeseen complications that would exacerbate the urban crisis. Affordable high-rise housing, that was meant to bring more people into the city instead, forced the people who could afford it to move out into the growing suburbs and the poor to quickly demolish the poorly built maintained structures. As a result of displacement and previous Supreme Court decisions blockbusters would move African Americans into previous white neighborhoods which caused the movement of segregated districts within the cities to change. In the end the only thing that changed were the placement of black and white districts, the growth of suburbs, and empty lots where affordable housing once stood.
Housing segregation is as the taken for granted to any feature of urban life in the United States (Squires, Friedman, & Siadat, 2001). It is the application of denying minority groups, especially African Americans, equal access to housing through misinterpretation, which denies people of color finance services and opportunities to afford decent housing. Caucasians usually live in areas that are mostly white communities. However, African Americans are most likely lives in areas that are racially combines with African Americans and Hispanics. A miscommunication of property owners not giving African American groups gives an accurate description of available housing for a decent area. This book focuses on various concepts that relates to housing segregation and minority groups living apart for the majority group.
Jackelyn Hwang and Robert J. Sampson’s article “Divergent Pathways of Gentrification: Racial Inequality and the Social Order of Renewal in Chicago Neighborhoods” addresses the evolution of gentrification over time. The direct examination of gentrification is difficult to observe; however, by examining social pathways we are able to further advance our studies.
Of the many problems affecting urban communities, both locally and abroad, there is one issue in particular, that has been victimizing the impoverished within urban communities for nearly a century; that would be the problem of gentrification. Gentrification is a word used to describe the process by which urban communities are coerced into adopting improvements respective to housing, businesses, and general presentation. Usually hidden behind less abrasive, or less stigmatized terms such as; “urban renewal” or “community revitalization” what the process of gentrification attempts to do, is remove all undesirable elements from a particular community or neighborhood, in favor of commercial and residential enhancements designed to improve both the function and aesthetic appeal of that particular community. The purpose of this paper is to make the reader aware about the significance of process of gentrification and its underlying impact over the community and the community participation.
During the years of 1960s they are several cities in the United States experienced violent and racial riots occurred that shook the economic progress of the nation. As it has been linked to the social-economic conditions of African Americans that leads to violent protests for equal and justifiable economic status. Atlanta is like an emerging center in US had showed the signs of bright economic recovery after the world war II. This city had distinguished themselves against the big cities like New York and Chicago by symbolizing itself as industrialized city with urban center large populations for development of industrial units.
Lohr, Kathy. “The Economic Legacy Of Atlanta’s Olympic Games.” National Public Radio, NPR, 4 Aug. 2011, www.npr.org/2011/08/04/138926167/the-economic-legacy-of-atlantas-olympic-games. Accessed 9 Feb. 2018.
Olympic Dreams: The Impact of Mega-events on Local Politics by Matthew J. Burbank, investigates local politics surrounding Mega-events and their impact on politics on American cities particularly three U.S. cities - Los Angeles (1984), Atlanta (1996), and Salt Lake City (2002). The first three chapters the author focuses on Mega-events in general and their benefit to cities and the influence of politics and economic growth behind it all. Then the authors breaks it down into three case studies and investigate in-depth each Olympics that took place in the following US cities. One of the big questions is, what drives cities to large scale events such as the Olympics and what are the benefits. Considering the influence of politics, economics and image and there connection to urban politics as a whole. The authors also explain the importance of the coalition of public and private elites, and how the opinions of citizens are over shadowed profoundly known as “Urban Regime”. Looking beyond the benefits and losses it also looks at how it affect local governance and social conditions in the particular city.