Articles

A Complex Geography of Black Belonging: Exploring the Black Diasporic Geographies of Metro Atlanta

Videos of a roundtable discussion about the diverse Afro-diasporic geographies of the Atlanta metropolitan region, moderated by Kali-Ahset Amen and including commentary from Asia Leeds, Mark Bilal King, Regine O. Jackson, Justin Hosbey, and Aretina Hamilton.

“Creating a City Within a City”: John Portman’s Peachtree Center and Private Urban Renewal in Atlanta

Irene Holliman Way examines the role John Portman played in the re-development of downtown Atlanta during the 1960s and 1970s and the disparate impacts of his “private urban renewal” efforts.

Atlanta, The Scott Family, and the Creation of a Media Empire

In this excerpt from his University of Georgia Press monograph The Grapevine of the Black South: The Scott Newspaper Syndicate in the Generation Before the Civil Rights Movement, Thomas Aiello recounts the origins of the Atlanta Daily World and the Scott Newspaper Syndicate on Auburn Avenue.

From Exclusion to Expulsion: Demolition, Displacement, and Race in Atlanta’s Northern Suburbs

Scott Markley examines suburban redevelopment projects in Atlanta and their role in changing neighborhood racial composition.

Restoring the Archives Building: An Interview with Adam Forrester

Andrew Wasserman interviews Adam Forrester about ‘Archive’ – his new film on the demolition of the Georgia Archives and Records Building in 2017.

Retrofitting Suburban Atlanta

Video of Ellen Dunham-Jones’ lecture from the 2018 Atlanta Studies Symposium on the prospects and challenges of retrofitting suburban spaces in metro Atlanta.

Parks are for the People: The Piedmont Park Riot and the Politics of Late 1960s Atlanta

Christopher Huff recounts the 1969 police riot in Piedmont Park and explains what it reveals about the politics of late 1960s Atlanta, and especially around the then booming “Hip” community in the city.

Music and Art in the Black Mecca: Atlanta’s Black Cultural Politics From Maynard to Keisha

Videos of presentations by Maurice Hobson, Joycelyn Wilson, and R. Candy Tate’s on key issues in the Black cultural politics of Atlanta from the 1970s to today.

Learning Our Lessons: Civics Education, Urban Planning, and Race in Postwar Atlanta

Katie Marages Schank explores the mid-century Atlanta textbook Building Atlanta’s Future and the lessons we might learn from its erasure of African Americans from its representation of the city and its public housing.

The Tie That Binds: White Church Response to Neighborhood Racial Change in Atlanta, 1960–1985

Preston Hogue describes how white churches in 1960s–1980s Atlanta drew on racist ideologies and religious values in responding to racial transitions in their neighborhoods.

Power and Place-Naming: The Struggle for a New Urban Order in Midtown, 1870–1970

Jessica Keys uncovers the century-long history of changing place-names for the area now known as Midtown.

Voices Rising: Translating Methods to Teach Atlanta

Ruth Yow and Sarah O’Brien discuss their pedagogical approaches for teaching about Atlanta.

“My Real Life Work Was Done at Atlanta”: Aldon Morris on W. E. B. Du Bois’ Career in Atlanta

Barbara Harris Combs and Katherine Hankins interview Aldon Morris about W. E. B. Du Bois’ twenty-three year career at Atlanta University in the early twentieth century.

A PURPOSELY BUILT COMMUNITY: PUBLIC HOUSING REDEVELOPMENT AND RESIDENT REPLACEMENT AT EAST LAKE MEADOWS

Adam Goldstein re-examines the redevelopment of East Lake Meadows in the 1990s.

THE MAKING AND UNMAKING OF MODERN ATLANTA: IS THE “BLACK MECCA” ERODING?

Videos of Andrea Young and Maurice J. Hobson in conversation about the postwar history of Atlanta as a “Black Mecca.”

EXCLUDED FROM “EVERYBODY’S NEIGHBORHOOD”? CONSTRUCTING SANDY SPRINGS’ NEW CITY CENTER

Elisa Lanari examines the conflicting interpretations of suburban redevelopment in Sandy Springs.

THE RISE AND FALL OF ATLANTA’S SKID ROW

Charles Steffen examines the institutional infrastructure of Atlanta’s former Skid Row in the South Downtown Business District and its eventual dismantling

ART AND ACTIVISM IN 1970S ATLANTA

Julia Brock, Teresa Bramlette Reeves, and Kirstie Tepper discuss the emergence of a new Atlanta art scene in the 1970s.

"Two people walk past three houses that were torn down Thursday as part of a revitalization project in Cabbagetown. Construction and renovation will begin in January on about 25 houses, which will be sold to poor and middle-income residents and ex-residents of the area."

FINANCIAL INNOVATION, SINGLE FAMILY RENTALS, & THE UNEVEN HOUSING MARKET RECOVERY IN ATLANTA

Elora Raymond and Jesse Zaro Moore trace the development and impact of Single Family Rental Securitization in Atlanta.

ATLANTA’S WAR ON DENSITY

Joseph Hurley examines Atlanta’s land use.

Photograph of Atlanta Braves stadium with text "This is Braves Country" on the wall

MAPPING BRAVES COUNTRY

Andy Walter analyzes the politics of mapping and baseball.

YOUR ADVERTISEMENT TROUBLES ME: ATLANTA’S GOLD DUST TWINS

Velma Maia Thomas examines the recently unearthed Gold Dust Twins advertisement.

EMMAUS HOUSE AND ATLANTA’S ANTI-POVERTY MOVEMENTS

LeeAnn Lands examines the role of Emmaus House in anti-poverty activism.

NOW AND THEN: THE PERIODIZATION LENS

Clarence Stone revisits Atlanta’s political economy.

LIVING AT PEGGY’S: WHERE MARGARET MITCHELL WROTE GONE WITH THE WIND

Boyd Lewis recounts his time living in Apartment One.