Monthly Archives: February 2016

“The Demise of Queer Space? Resurgent Gentrification and the Assimilation of LGBT Neighborhoods.” N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Feb. 2016.

This article examines the Atlanta Metropolitan Area as a case study to analyze the effects of gentrification on the concentration of LGBT couples in different neighborhoods. It also covers race relations through the lens of this dispersion of gay and lesbian citizens of the city. The conclusion reached is that gentrification has served to price-out LGBT residents of the neighborhood of midtown and disperse them into other areas of the city, effectively diluting the gay and lesbian community and resulting in former LGBT neighborhoods to become less tolerant. Kirkwood was one of the traditionally Black neighborhoods that many gay and lesbian people moved to as midtown was becoming increasingly gentrified. This source also uses visual aides in the form of maps and charts displaying relevant data. This article would be very helpful to anyone trying to explore gentrification in Atlanta and its effects on distribution of same-sex couples throughout the city as well as the businesses and institutions that rely on them. While this article only mentions Kirkwood by name once, I chose it because it covers broader concepts that have definitely affected the neighborhood of Kirkwood. It also doesn’t reference any other articles I’ve written bibliographies but it does touch on a lot of the same problems discussed in Cities and Inequalities in a Global and Neoliberal World.

Miraftab, Faranak, and Inc ebrary. Cities and Inequalities in a Global and Neoliberal World. 2015. Web. 4th February 2016.

This section of this article that discusses the built environment of Atlanta is called The Politics of Relocating Atlanta’s Poor and it explores how needs of the economic elite have shaped where low-income citizens are allowed to live through the strategic placement of public housing complexes and provides visual aides in the form of photos, maps and tables displaying relevant data. It explains that there have been 4 phases of public housing in Atlanta: 1) Birth of Atlanta’s public housing, 2) Expanding the City and moving public housing out, 3) Projects get smaller and tenants get poorer, and 4) Public Housing is reduced during the Olympics. Kirkwood’s place in this process comes in phase 3, as public housing land gets pushed away from downtown to make room for financial districts and more middle class white families move to the suburbs. It states that Kirkwood shifted from majority white to majority black within a few years. This article would be useful to anyone attempting to show the progression of the built environment in Atlanta and the effect of racism and classism on the citizens of Atlanta and their ability to choose where they can live. This article doesn’t appear to have any major flaws that affect my use of it in examining Kirkwood as a built environment. I chose this article because it is one of only a few I could find that mentioned Kirkwood specifically in the capacity that I desired to research it in.