Findings

Our project findings serve as a warning sign for other cities that are or are on the verge of experiencing gentrification. We explore the racial disparities and displacement of Black residents in Atlanta and the infiltration of affluent white families because of increased housing prices. As we explored in depth, a main factor in these rising prices and subsequent racial displacement is the boom of the film industry in Atlanta, owed to the implementation of the tax credit system in 2005. The promise of financial compensation caused big-name franchises to migrate to this city and bring their employees from Hollywood with them. However, the increase in film production did not have any strong economic benefits and had far worse effects on the local residents. The film industry has done much to destroy the “Black Mecca” Atlanta was transforming into and backpedaled the peaceful racial coexistence Ebony Magazine described 50 years ago.

When looking into other cities that may be experiencing similar gentrification repercussions, our team found Austin, Texas may have similar issues. The technology industry and overall modernization of the huge land mass that is the state of Texas, has caused concern for many of the long-time homeowners. According to The Uprooted Project, a project focusing on community displacement caused by gentrification, from The University of Texas at Austin:

“…[Austin] residents—who are largely low-income persons of color—will be pushed out farther away from opportunity and dislocated from their communities. In the process, neighborhoods that have historically been home to African-American and Hispanic residents will lose their cultural character and become enclaves for largely white and wealthier residents” (Way, et al. 2018).

In near identical fashion, nascent industry, promising to bring wealth and prosperity, forces impoverished and marginalized residents out of affordable shelter and wipes their cultural footprint from urban centers in the process.

The lesson is evident. When cities urge new industries in, their first and ultimate priority should be to empower their residents. Industry makes something akin to a Monkey’s Paw promise. While the city itself will experience an economic revival, longtime residents more often than not fail to see the fruits of that boon. With this in mind, world citizens should implore their local governments to intervene directly. This intervention can come in many forms, like taxing massive corporate entities and redistributing that wealth through welfare or codifying labor, housing, and diversity laws to protect local residents from being forced out of their homes and livelihoods. Gentrification does not have to and should not be the inevitable result of introducing industry to established populations. Atlantawood can be a cautionary tale to encourage governments to do better, for the sake of their marginalized communities.