Equity Advocate, Economist Share Different Views Of Gentrification

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A sign sits outside of Welch Park in Atlanta calling for an end to gentrification. It was placed by an anti-gentrification group, Community Movement Builders. / GPB

Everyone wants to live in a thriving, beautiful neighborhood.

So how do we achieve that?  Many people believe that gentrification, or the process of renovating and improving a neighborhood so that it conforms to middle-class taste, is the way to go.

GPB's Leah Fleming interviews an equity advocate and an economist to hear their views on gentrification in major cities like Atlanta.

But others argue that there can be problems with the process. Gentrification can push longtime residents, who are often low-income families, out of the places they have called home for years. And because of the historic ties between racism and poverty, that often means white families moving into historically black neighborhoods.
 

That’s where the racial and socio-economic tension come in, an issue that Atlanta is currently dealing with.

GPB’s Leah Fleming speaks with voices on both sides of the issue:

• Nathaniel Smith of the Partnership for Southern Equity, who favors 'neighborhood revitilization' over gentrification.  

Nathaniel Smith, CEO of the Partnership for Southern Equity

• Idrees Kahloon, U.S. Policy Correspondent for The Economist, who argues that the positive outcomes of  gentrification are often ignored. 

Idrees Kahloon, U.S. Policy Correspondent for The Economist