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Hello.

This is the result of an independent study project by a student at GSU College of Law. This website will serve as an ongoing effort to collect resources and coordinate a framework of the legal history of housing projects in Atlanta Georgia with a specific focus on the design politics that went into decisions made in the planning, running and destroying of the Nation's first attempt to provide public housing for the poor. 

What is this website?

The intent behind this website was to create a resource to publish the story of public housing in Atlanta from the perspective of the legal framework behind building and destroying huge public projects. I was interested in the people impacted by the creation and destruction of the projects, but also, in the motivations of those "pulling the strings." These "public" projects involved lots of private players and the design politics behind land acquisition, contract assignments and federal funding weaves quite a twisted web.  As I began research I continued to ask "is this really my story to tell", should I be the one musing about the potential private/public collusion that lay behind the facade of "urban renewal", all my inclinations told me I should reserve myself from pointing fingers and suggesting theories. It came to me that, really, the story doesn't need my commentary, the dates speak for themselves. 

From that thought process I decided to begin a timeline of important events in the history of building, demolishing and redeveloping the housing projects in Atlanta. The events that lead to the once-massive empire of public housing in Atlanta are not a simple set of events though. Yes, it all started with Charles Palmer. Yes, it all ended with Renee Glover. But the story is much more complicated than that. While collecting dates my research on the housing Projects overlapped into other projects of "urban renewal" in Atlanta that had lead to large-scale displacement of primarily Black households and the underlying political context of those decisions. Although this project is a work-in-progress and will be continually updated, at this time I have chosen to break up the timeline into mayoral reigns. Due to the inherently political nature of providing public housing for the poor, many of the key events in public housing are directly tied to the city leadership so breaking up the periods of interest based on political leadership seems to provide necessary demarcation (open to other suggestions though). 

 

WHY ALL THESE DATES MATTER:

Through looking at all of these events in a linear way patterns emerge. I don't even have to point them out so much as they become self evident. The clearing of communities described here are arguably, "The Atlanta Way." What has happened twice can happen again. By assembling this website I hope to provide a resource for those interested in noticing the patterns of "progress" in Atlanta so that we can learn from the past to create a better future. 

The concept of "The Atlanta Model" carries with it a long history and by only focusing on the "positive" (economically advantageous for those holding the power), the real story of those who lived through it and the lessons learned along the way falls away. Without looking at the story of Urban CHANGE, (through the lens of uplift, renewal or removal) and the concept of public housing through those who lived there--relying on the framework of the "Atlanta Model" from the developers who profited from it is questionable basis for nationwide application. 

LOOKING FORWARD:

The scope of change that Atlanta is poised for the next phase of development is potentially the greatest threat to the soul of our city since the “slum-clearing” of the 1930’s. With the modern analog of HUD’s past “renewal” funding, the current “Choice Neighborhoods” grants are focused on the areas of Atlanta where large scale housing was cleared in the early 2000’s. Currently the proposal of University Choice Neighborhoods is moving into the implementation phase and the Bowen Choice Neighborhood planning grant is in progress, the wheels are in motion. The area around the vacant land where Bankhead Courts once stood is rapidly changing and it is not hard to imagine that land too will soon be eyed for development. These three areas are all on the west side of Atlanta in traditionally black neighborhoods. What will the future hold for these areas? Will those black legacy residents remain? If past is precedent, the likely answer is no. What can we do now, while the wheels are in motion, to create a better future without erasing the past?

 

 

Focus areas: Perspectives on the people, places and events of "progress" in Atlanta

 

Leadership: "leaders" of project development or urban renewal, on the "private" side of the equation.  From the "top"-developers, city officials; and from the "bottom"-leadership from within the communities being "renewed."

Locations: This is really a story of people, but the places that frame the modern reality of this story provide context to connect with and understand the lives of the people who make up this story. Looking at the physical locations, now, and at other "snapshots" of time drives home the urgency of understanding what happened to create current realities. Examples of "success" and abject failure in the "renewal" of Atlanta are abound and this section of the website will show visual examples of the story described in the timeline. 

Displacement: This section provides graphs or charts describing the numbers of people who were forced out of their homes in different phases of urban renewal. The trends of displacement targeting black communities deemed "slums" during the 1930-40s"slum clearing" and the "problem" of "crime ridden projects" in the 1990-2000's project demolition are clear, the term "twice-cleared" land refers to the two-fold process of displacing Black Atlantans and,--the numbers speak for themselves. 

Timeline: breakdown by mayoral leadership providing description of different initiatives undertaken and policy changes through the years. The mayor-by-mayor perspective allows for a "snap-shot" perspective of the general social/political climate. This breakdown allows sequential commentary for each time period on why these events matter within the  overarching "story" of events through time. By framing the events related to public housing and urban renewal demarcated by each mayoral reign, this timeline provides both explanation of how it all fits together along with the concrete details of each "brick" in the "road of progress" to better understand how we got to today. 

Contact

I'm always looking for new and exciting opportunities. Let's connect.

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