gentrification

growth of the metropolitan economy, arguably the first or second best in the nation in the 1980s, alarge proportion of central city blacks remained either unemployed or not in the labor force at all.The prime explanation found was that large numbers of in-migrants to Atlanta, mostly whites, weregetting the entry-level jobs….In addition, in-migrants located disproportionately closer to the newentry-level jobs in the north central suburbs.” 822. Factors Driving GentrificationA combination of policy initiatives, market forces and Atlanta’s hosting of the 1996 SummerOlympics have helped to revitalize downtown Atlanta.Tax Abatements. To help create demand for downtown commercial businesses, the citycreated housing enterprise zones in the mid-‘80s, which offer 5-year tax abatements for new housingdevelopments, followed by a five-year phase-out. The program has been very successful financiallyand spatially: tax revenues from these developments are now starting to flow into city coffers, andmuch vacant land in downtown Atlanta has been turned over to housing uses. More recently, the taxabatement effort has prompted the conversion of class C office space downtown into lofts, creating adowntown that is more commercially viable after dark. These developments represent only a fractionof the growth in both housing and jobs in suburban areas during the same time period.Regional Initiatives. More than many metropolitan areas, Atlanta is beginning to recognizethe interdependence of its city center and suburban areas. Under pressure from the federalgovernment, the region developed the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA) toencourage regional collaboration and transit-oriented development, although its tangibleaccomplishments remain relatively few. Atlanta is under heavy federal pressure to improve its airquality, and the average 35-mile inter-suburb commute is a major obstacle to improvement. TheGRTA has the authority to reject new housing and commercial developments that increase ratherthan reduce the need for car trips, although it has yet to exercise that authority.Market Demand for Housing. There has been a growth in market-rate in-town housingdevelopment, led by developer John Williams of Post Properties. In a recent New York Timesarticle, Williams extols the value of in-town living, outlines changing market preferences, and arguesthat in-fill housing is financially more attractive than suburban developments that rely on the car (andits pollution) for their viability. 83Building the Middle-Income Resident Base. A 1997 report by the Atlanta RenaissancePolicy Board laid out a strategic plan for the “post-Olympics era..” It concluded that the city of Atlantaneeded a larger middle class to provide the region with the economic vitality needed to support anexpanding and healthy metropolitan market. The report set out a goal for increasing Atlanta’s middle82 Sawicki, David S., and Mitch Moody. “Déjà Vu All Over Again: Porter’s Model of Inner City Development.” TheReview of Black Political Economy, vol. 24, nos. 2 and 3, Fall 1995-Winter 1996, page 78.83 Tucker, Katheryn Hayes, “Saying Goodbye to the ‘Burbs,” New York Times, March 5, 2000, p. 1 Section 3.51