Aka Jr, Ebenezer O. “Gentrification and socioeconomic impacts of neighborhood integration and diversification in Atlanta, Georgia”. NATIONAL SOCIAL SCIENCE JOURNAL Volume 35# (2010): 1. http://nssa.us/journals/2010-35-1/2010-35-1-01.htm. Last Accessed February 2, 2016.
This article introduces an interesting word that I may incorporate into my paper: gentrification. It is defined as “the upward change in land use to middle and upper income residential (Keating, 2003)” (Aka). This word changes the way I thought about poverty stricken versus rich areas. In some areas the city is not only making it more difficult for poor people to travel and to access the commodities for daily life, but the selection of living space for people in poverty is decreasing do to middle class families renovating homes to raise the property value. After renovations, the poor can no longer afford these homes and are therefore left with fewer places to live. In addition, when property value goes up, so does property tax which the poor cannot afford. On the other hand, “as property taxes and sales tax revenues increase, the education provided in local public schools improves, the provision of public services becomes greater, and the overall quality of life is improved” (Aka). It may be argued that the good outweighs the bad, but I can delve deeper into the controversy for my paper. The article also discusses the Edgewood neighborhoods which will help understand the area where the Edgewood Learning Garden is located. This scholarly source also provides graphs, maps, and tables that may be of use to me.