Omar Webb
Dr. Wharton
English 1102
Decatur : A Modern Tale of Two Cities
Ever since their arrival on the American shores during the beginning of the 1600’s., African Americans have routinely been discriminated in both their own civil rights as well as their rights of self-determination. Even after the end of the Civil War, African-Americans were being segregated in to typically all black communities where their usually cut off from the happenings of the city. For many blacks living in rural community, the ongoing racial attacks were to great so many immigrated into urban areas. A primary destination of many in the South, being the city of Atlanta. During the beginning to mid 1900’s many blacks congregated into the south of the city of Atlanta while the wealthier whites tended to live in the North East portion of the city. In the late 1950s, after the government legally banned selective housing, however different forms of violence and intimidation tactics were used by some white neighborhoods to discourage many upper-middle class blacks from buying homes and moving there. Many housing companies eventually implemented block-busting policies which drove whites to sell their homes to move to neighborhoods in northwest Atlanta, and sections of of the east side. This caused massive demographic changes in many neighborhoods as new black homeowners moved in. Atlanta’s western and southern neighborhoods eventually became majority black . The black proportion of the city’s population rose from 38 to 51%. As the city expanded, many suburban counties were created with the demographic and racial effects still intact. One of these suburbs is Dekalb County, the capital of which is the city of Decatur.
In order to understand the current events or a town or region, the history of the environment must be dissected. Doing so you will find the very roots of the problem itself. A historical perspective of Dekalb County is needed in order to understand the origins of the current racial and economic inequalities. As the city was experiencing demographic changes in the 1960’s and 1970’s, Dekalb County would witness dramatic drops in property values as more affluent blacks were now able to leave the inner city. This caused many wealthy as well as middle class White Americans to flee to the northern portion of Dekalb County. The grand onset for the city was the 1996 Olympics . During time leading up to and after, Atlanta created an identity for itself through the recently added and now well known attractions in the downtown area. In the late 1990s, the Georgia Dome, Phillips Arena, and finally in 2005, Georgia Aquarium, the world’s largest aquarium, opened and modernized. In addition many companies began to move and base themselves in the southern metropolis and caused many of the residents in the town to move further into the suburbs to escape the congestion and over-crowding. Since then, the city has gained a local and national reputation as a progressive city with a very strong democratic leaning. Also the city is home to many business and school commuter while still remaining a somewhat small town feel even though its close proximity to the city of Atlanta.
During my original exterior built environment analysis, I was able to tour the Downtown Decatur District. When walking around, I first entered the park behind the city’s courthouse. I saw passing families on a Saturday stroll as well as independently owned restaurants across the street. This mixture of nature and commerce showed the importance that this bond had on the very culture of the city. Continuing my walk through the city on the paved sidewalks mixed in with rocky pathways, I was captivated by the smells of different bakeries as well as the scent of flowers and trees. For a moment had almost completely forgotten I was in a place no more than 20 minutes away from the Downtown Atlanta Area. The external appearance of buildings in the Downtown area embody many of the historical traditions many of the residents cherish. Side by side tradition and modernization live side by side with majority of the buildings are privately owned by companies. One stark observation I had was that majority of the citizens of the town were primarily upper class whites. This caused me to expect the rest of the county be the same, but after reviewing a demographic map I was shocked by the results.
Demographics of Decatur
Today the city is entirely different from the rest of Dekalb county. In response to the thriving economy, Atlanta has implemented initiatives to increase diversity. The racial makeup of the city was 73.5% White and 20.2% African American, a very stark difference to the county has a whole which is 54.3% African American and 33.3% white. Even though the county is one of the most diverse counties in the nation, it is extremely segregated with opposing races on opposite sides of the county. The city is different economically from the rest of the county with the median income of the city being $73,602 while the rest of the county is 51,349. The largest separator of the majority white north and majority black south for the county is the I-20 highway. Ever since integration was mandated by the federal government, many of the leaders of major cities have found hidden ways of still enforcing the racial status quo. Since the beginning of the semester, I have learned that objects things that we see as normal in our surroundings may have been created in order to exclude certain groups of society. Architectural exclusion is a practice that has been around since the beginnings of mankind and it is still practiced in many forms today. Many groups are excluded because of their different races, sexual orientations, and income levels. Highways have historically been used a way to create an artificial barrier between African American and white communities living in the suburban areas of Atlanta.
These highways also conveniently blocked access from the homeless residents of the city to the suburbs which is why majority of them live in the Downtown area. Sixteen percent of the population of the county lived below the poverty line, majority of which live in the predominately black southern region of the county. Another restriction on integration was Metro Atlanta Raid Transit Authority (MARTA). Up until the 1990’s, any residents of the city of Decatur fought against expansion in to the city. Majority of the users of MARTA were African-Americans since many resided closer to the city as well as couldn’t afford to buy cars. The city council leaders feared the expanding MARTA would start an influx of blacks and the homeless into the city which would cause another cycle of white flight in the city. Public transportation is has historically been seen as a spreader of crime and many of the suburban residents didn’t wan’t to bring to much of the city entire their backyard. Marta bus station signs and directory towards train stations are primarily located in the southern portion of Dekalb County.
In the map provided by the MARTA website, the transit routes throughout Atlanta encompass all parts of the Metro. Railways stretch from the majority African-American southern region to the predominately white northern region, making demographic mobility much easier to achieve. The map clearly shows that the more northern you travel in the city, the number of stops decrease. This is probably because many of this stops are recent since MARTA was never intended to be used my the city’s northern residents. The map is color coded according to what region of the metro is being entered. The formatting of the railway system is clear evidence of racial politics being a part of the many political and economics choices that have been made throughout this country and the effects that are still present today.
Conclusion:
As Atlanta is currently undergoing demographic and economic changes to become a “world city” is imperative that the culture and systematic problems of the city change as well. This is most evident through the built environment of the adjacent Dekalb County. Atlanta’s success stems from its hits historical progressive views and the positive effects diversification have had on many previous disadvantaged minorities . In order to combat the generational use of racial exclusion, the city should find ways to tear down these borders in order to make a more integrated society. The state government should make more concerted efforts to prevent segregation, by addressing lending disparities that historically been used to restrict economic demographic movements to cracking down on blockbusting. The city leaders should implement more tax regulation that would allow many of the residents of the county to move around. Doing so would increase the entire property value of the county as a whole, not just the wealthier north. As Atlanta is diversifying and the gentrification is expanding, many of the suburban communities need to take initiative to end the historical discrimination that has been a blemish on their histories. More steps must be taken to make society more inclusive and beneficial for all Americans and not just a select wealthier few.
Works Cited
Oakley, Deirdre, Erin Ruel, and Lesley Reid. “Atlanta’s Last Demolitions And Relocations: The Relationship Between Neighborhood Characteristics And Resident Satisfaction.”Housing Studies 28.2 (2013): 205. Advanced Placement Source. Web. 29 Apr. 2016.
Badger, Emily. “The Real Cost Of Segregation.” Atlantic 312.2 (2013): 29. Literary Reference Center. Web. 29 Apr. 2016.
Gustafon, Seth. “Displacement And The Racial State In Olympic Atlanta 1990-1996.” Southeastern Geographer 53.2 (2013): 198. Advanced Placement Source. Web. 29 Apr. 2016.
Allen, James P., and Eugene Turner. “Black–White And Hispanic–White Segregation In U.S. Counties.” Professional Geographer 64.4 (2012): 503. Advanced Placement Source. Web. 29 Apr. 2016.
Blau, Max. “Back On Track.” Atlanta 55.6 (2015): 106-117. MasterFILE Elite. Web. 29 Apr. 2016.
Monroe, Doug. “Where It All Went Wrong.” Atlanta 52.4 (2012): 86-98. MasterFILE Elite. Web. 29 Apr. 2016.
Pictures
www.decaturga.com