Umbrella of Gentrification

Neighborhoods+Developers+Gentrifiers+Displacement of Old Residents

A neighbor in Castleberry Hill states, "One of my first realizations was that suburban living just wasn't for me.I'd always liked the thought of living in a loft and had some friends moving to Castleberry Hill around that time." She states that she wanted a creative intown neighborhood that would feel less "disconnected" from the energy and culture of Atlanta. So she says, she went and had look at the neighborhood that was being gentrified. She found a whole lot of creativity going on in this three-block triangle between CNN Center and Atlanta's West End. Photographers, artists and designers of all kinds have set up shop in the historic warehouse district, bordered by Walker and Peters streets. At least a dozen art galleries are open, including Skot Foreman Fine Art and Marcia Wood Gallery. Castleberry Hill features Atlanta's largest concentration of authentic railway buildings and is on the National Register of Historic Places, but behind the gritty, industrial facades are chic lofts, studios and shops.

More than a decade ago, Skelton became one of Atlanta's first urban pioneers when he converted a Castleberry Hill building into a beautiful loft project. Back then, loft projects weren't exactly trendy in Atlanta."When I started in 1989, people thought of lofts in terms of Flashdance -- leaky roofs, wet puddles, huge empty spaces, Skelton recalls. "Flash forward to 2000: Loft living is the latest rage in downtown Atlanta. It's tough to traverse a major city thoroughfare without spotting another loft project under way. A true renaissance is emerging in downtown Atlanta.

The gentrification of urban areas can be beneficial when it is managed in a way that improves a neighborhood’s economic vitality without compromising. While the revitalization trend has attracted much-needed private investment in U.S. cities, participants said that neighborhood makeovers have, in some cases, ignored the heritage of existing neighborhoods, ultimately causing the entire city to lose a piece of its unique identity. James Carr, senior vice president of the Fannie Mae Foundation in Washington, D.C. Stated, “There is a much smaller focus on those who are mixed out…..We need to find more ways to preserve the cultural authenticity of a neighborhood that is undergoing gentrification.”