Atlanta’s Neighborhood’s: Cabbagetown Not Accepting Gen - PowerPoint Presentation

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Atlanta’s Neighborhood’s: Cabbagetown Not Accepting Gentrification

By: Mikayla CollinsSlide2

Gentrification? What’s that?

Gentrification

is the idea of

moving lower income families out of their homes to renovate and conform the area to a more richer feel or middle class taste. Genetrification has been occuring in many states and cities across America today. As sad as it is to announce, Atlanta is number 4 on the charts for areas that have been affected the most by genterfication.Slide3

Genterfication Continued

Given that I had no prior knowledge about

gentrification

before this presentation it was interesting to note a few things about this horrific issue. Something that I noticed was just searching the word gentrification on Google alone, led to many of the first searches including Atlanta in them. For instance, Gentrification of Atlanta – Wikipedia, How gentrification really changes a neighborhood - Atlanta

Magazine, and 10

Years Later, Atlanta's Gentrification Concerns Persist - Curbed 

were the very first three searches on google. This opened my eyes a lot more and just proved that this issue is substantially increasing in Atlanta. Slide4

Gentrification on GoogleSlide5

Where are we heading?

For

this

presentation I will be informing and discussing the the main arguments which are: Cabbagetown not undergoing gentrification, its comparison and contrast to other cities that have already been affected by this problem , and lastly how gentrification is most likely never going to officially affect Cabbagetown itself.My accumulated thesis : Cabbagetown has refused to change its customs and values of the city and how this town came together to not let this happen their neighborhood. First, I will inform you on the many places in Atlanta alone experiencing gentrification. Then,  I will include a comparison and a contrast of other conformed places in Atlanta to the “non-conformed” Cabbagetown. Next, I will provide information about the history of Cabbagetown and how much has not changed and why Cabbagetown has been such a success from not going under gentrification.Slide6

Introduction

Atlanta today has undergone a lot of changes in the sense of its neighborhoods. The neighborhoods today are seen conforming to the idea of “new and improving” neighborhoods in the Atlanta area. Conforming is the sense of adjusting one’s rules to fit in with the rest of the crowd. In this case, it’s the neighborhood’s way of becoming socially acceptable. This happens all the time in Atlanta’s neighborhoods. In fact, majority of this conforming inside Atlanta’s neighborhoods came from the idea of gentrification. This is simply when people try to upgrade and improve a neighborhood so that it is to a more first or middle class type of feel and liking. Basically, taking people who have a lower income and replacing them with people of higher incomes. In Atlanta, the gentrification is also known to be radically altered, due to the increase of Caucasians entering the area and number of African Americans being forced to leave the area. According to Zak Cheney Rice, a writer from Mic Network stated, 31% of Atlanta alone has experienced gentrification in this 21

st

 century. Although this horrific thing has been occurring in Atlanta very frequently and very fast, there is one city in particular that I personally have seen that refuses to let this happen to them. The idea of becoming “socially acceptable” is not apart of their traditions and customs. This city is none other than Cabbagetown, Atlanta.Slide7

Poster showing proof of new renovations to lower income families for upper income families.Slide8

Atlanta Places Experiencing Gentrification

There are so many places that have already been gentrified and conformed to more upscale likings on Atlanta. Northwest Atlanta, Southwest Atlanta, South Atlanta are all places that have been affected. To be a little more specific, Moreland Avenue, which is located South Atlanta has been conformed to new conditions as seen as in the image to the right.

For example, Moreland

Avenue in 2007 had single-family homes all along the strip who had a lower income but in fact were happy with where they were, because it fit them and their price of attendance here was affordable at the time. As time passes by this street on Moreland Avenue eventually turns into what you many people can say have been “gentrified”. It has been stated by Shaila

Dewan, A New York Times reporter, that areas in Northeast Atlanta such as Riverside, Buckhead, and Cobb County have already experienced some adaptations of gentrification, while Bankhead and Rockdale are surfacing media everywhere of new renovation projects. Slide9

Moreland Avenue

Moreland Avenue before

Moreland Avenue afterSlide10

Gentrified Atlanta vs Cabbage Town Atlanta

It is very easy to associate Cabbagetown with the rest of East Atlanta’s gentrification problem, simply because it is located there, but in fact Cabbagetown has done little to know change within the city itself

.

I instantly noticed the very ancient theme of the whole area. While visiting this space, and knowing absolutely nothing about it I could make some conclusions. I saw that everything in this little town did not look anything else like the rest of the gentrified “affected” Atlanta.The town that was built in the 1800s still looks the same as it did then, now in the 21st century. I instantly noticed the very ancient theme of the whole area. While visiting this space, and knowing absolutely nothing about it I could make some conclusions. I saw that everything in this little town did not look anything else like the rest of the gentrified “affected” Atlanta

.To say that nothing has changed would be a lie, but little to nothing changed. The things that changed in this space were very small and were a change for a good cause. For instance, all different forms of art and colors were added to the space to jazz it up a bit, but no type of renovation or destruction was added to move these people out of their homes or form this town to be considered as “socially acceptable.”Slide11

Cabbagetown

Cabagetown

1800s

21st century CabbagetownSlide12

All About Cabbagetown

Cabbagetown Atlanta is a very important town located Eastside Atlanta. In fact, Cabbagetown District has been documented in the United States National Register of Historic Places. It was built around the end of the Battle of Atlanta around 1981 and started out as a mill town. Cabbagetown was a very agricultural cite and was one of Atlanta’s first well-built neighborhood

.

Because of its importance here, it seems like gentrification will never happen here. Around the late 1990’s and early 2000s Cabbagetown became known for its art and colorful graffiti in the area. Although the houses in Cabbagetown looks the same from 137 years ago the residents who lived here have done a lot to keep the town to still have that ancient and unique appearance. The residents here have come together as a community to prevent gentrification from happening. Walking down the bright streets of Cabbagetown everyone waved and greeted me with respect and made me feel very welcome. Its not like the rest of the places in Atlanta don’t do the same, but in fact I can hardly ever tell of place or neighborhood being diverse. Slide13

Beautiful CabbagetownSlide14

Conclusion

In conclusion to this it is seen that there is gentrification all throughout Atlanta, but at the same time not all of Atlanta is effected by it. For instance, Cabbagetown is a town/ neighborhood in Eastside Atlanta, where majority of the gentrification happens the most. With this being stated, it is still obvious that it has not done much change to the city or its neighborhood. One reason for this is because of its importance and history to Atlanta. Not only that but how the community comes together to prevent such things from happening. It is always good to understand why some areas are being gentrified and why others aren’t. Cabbagetown is a town that I can honestly say understands their old history and knows how to benefit it and not conform

.Slide15

Works Cited

Mic. “These 7 Cities Expose Exactly What Gentrification Is Doing to America.” 

Mic

. Mic Network Inc., 19 Aug. 2016. Web. 07 Apr. 2017.Bunn, Curtis. “10 US Cities Where Gentrification Is Happening the Fastest – Page 4 of 6.” Atlanta Black Star. N.p., 20 Feb. 2015. Web. 07 Apr. 2017.Kahn, Michael. “Gentrification Struggles Nothing New in Atlanta.” Curbed Atlanta. Curbed Atlanta, 28 Mar. 2016. Web. 07 Apr. 2017.Dewan, Shaila. “Gentrification Changing Face of New Atlanta.” The New York Times

. The New York Times, 11 Mar. 2006. Web. 07 Apr. 2017.Atlantatimemachine.com. N.p.,

n.d.

Web. 07 Apr. 2017.

“Gentrification of Atlanta.” 

Wikipedia

. Wikimedia Foundation, 25 Mar. 2017. Web. 07 Apr. 2017.