Annotated Bibliography: Gentrification and Socioeconomic Impacts of Neighborhood Integration and Diversification in Atlanta, Georgia

Aka Jr, Ebenezer O. “Gentrification and socioeconomic impacts of neighborhood integration and diversification in Atlanta, Georgia.” NATIONAL SOCIAL SCIENCE JOURNAL Volume 35# (2010): 1.

 

The purpose of Gentrification and Socioeconomic Impacts of Neighborhood Integration and Diversification in Atlanta, Georgia, an article by Ebenezer O. Aka, Jr., a professor of urban studies and public policy, Director of the Urban Studies Program, and Interim Chair of the Political Science Department at Morehouse College, is stated as “To determine the occurrence of gentrification and its effects, there will be a longitudinal analysis on variables of race, age, educational attainment, income, housing values and rent cost” (Aka). With this in mind, he analyzes five Atlanta neighborhoods: Summerhill, Grant Park, East Atlanta, East Lake, and Edgewood. He begins by defining gentrification as “the upgrading of devalued or deteriorated urban property by the middle class or affluent people” (Aka). He then explains some of the benefits of gentrification, such as higher property value, better road maintenance, police protection, and improved public education. He then goes on to point out the negatives, which affect low income people, African-Americans, and the elderly disproportionately. The biggest is displacement, or the dislocation of the low income individuals. This is due to the higher property tax that comes along with the heightened property value. As these people are forced out, a population change occurs. The new residents are usually younger white middle class individuals. Other effects noted are social changes as community ties are severed, economic changes due to an imbalance of housing and job growth, and political changes such as decreasing federal funds and tax abatement. This article is written for academics questioning gentrification in an attempt to convince them to help alleviate its negative impacts. This article could be useful to anyone studying one of the five mentioned neighborhoods as background knowledge. Another way it could be used is as a supplement to any mentions of gentrification. As gentrification involves a community being “upgraded”, the exteriors of the buildings are sure to change in numerous ways to reflect this.