- Are luxury housing complexes and high rises downtown pushing low-income residents to the outskirts of the city?
- Create an interactive map showing what areas of Athens are gentrified (where gentrification is/has occurred) and when. I think this would be particularly interesting if I were to show neighborhoods in Athens and how they have changed over time. I would use StoryMap JS to do this. I would drop pins on different gentrifying areas and include photos (if obtained) of the area in the past and an original, current photo of the area today. I think it would also be very interesting to include audio from people living in or who previously lived in each neighborhood that tells the story of gentrification.
- Interview longtime Athens residents to question how gentrification has changed the landscape of the city over the years.
Profile a resident of Parkview Homes about their experience in Athens, particularly since building began downtown. - Interview businesses that have been downtown for decades (The Caledonia Lounge, the 40 Watt Club) about how they have managed to stay relevant and interesting in a constantly changing area.
- Look at how gentrification downtown has changed what businesses are open in the area — do downtown shops change as the people living downtown change?
- How is the local government working to offset the effects of gentrification in the community? Are they attempting to bring in lower-income or rent controlled housing? Is there some sort of program available to help displaced residents find new homes? If so, how did these start?
- Is it provable that gentrification is a factor that leads to homelessness in Athens or could something else be contributing to this? Compare homelessness over the years.
- Has gentrification offered any benefits to the community — increased property values, reduced strain on local infrastructure, increased purchasing power in local businesses, etc?
- Compare Athens neighborhoods today to Athens neighborhoods 20 years ago — are different people living in different areas, if so, why and when did this occur?
- Everyone talks about housing when they think about gentrification, but I’d like to look at how it affects retail prices — what do rising prices mean for the accessibility of goods and services for Athenians? Nationally, we have seen that low-income communities have less access to grocery stores and healthy foods and that residents in these areas (called food deserts) are often obese due to a lack of healthy food. It might also be interesting to see how the public transit system in Athens makes Athens food deserts unique — because there are buses available, transportation into areas with healthy food options may not be as difficult as in other communities.
- How does gentrification change the kinds of goods and services that local residents demand or, in other words, how does gentrification change cultural aspects of downtown? I think this could be particularly interesting because it speaks to what Athens is as a city and how it has gotten to where it is today. Are we a music town because we always have been or is that a result of gentrification?
- How does gentrification change the cost of doing business — is this what makes lower-margin businesses more or less profitable? In this vein, how have business retention rates varied downtown as the city gentrified? Are tax incentives given to businesses that develop in gentrifying areas? It would be good to take a look at the city’s urban redevelopment plan and speak to members of the Downtown Development Authority about this, as well as local business owners.
- How has gentrification affected minorities in the community?
- Has gentrification changed the lives of women in Athens, particularly women in low-income households, for better or for worse?
- How has gentrification changed the way the local government is planning to develop the city in terms of business and growth? (Urban Redevelopment Plan)
- Does Athens have rent control regulations in place in any areas downtown? If so, what areas and how did that come to be?
- Are there areas in Athens that have been rent controlled and are now being allowed to practice vacancy decontrol? This often happens in communities with a high rate of resident turnover and ultimately render rent control laws ineffective.
- How have community groups developed since gentrification began in Athens? This is a community story, a profile of community groups like Athens for Everyone that have popped up in response to the continued gentrification in the city. This is particularly interesting because it shows the way different people of different classes try to effect change in their city and gives insight on what sorts of changes they would like to see occur. It would be interesting to tell the origin story of groups like this.
- Has downtown art or murals changed in response to gentrification at all? This happens in many other gentrifying communities?
One thought on “Brainstorming List”
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Hi Kelcey, I enjoyed reading your ideas. You have an interesting theme emerging! Gentrification or studentification is certainly relevant in the here and now, given the number of new complexes in Athens.
Something I didn’t think about when we talked yesterday was how gentrification is (or could be) measured. You probably already have a plan for the kind of data to present, but there may also be ideas on various websites or in previous articles. It could be worth browsing.
The idea you proposed of “then” and “now” pictures would be a nice addition to an interactive map. Maybe a county historical society would have old pictures, or the county assessor’s office (they may keep pictures for the purpose of tax records). Even just Googling the address might lead to old pictures since they don’t seem to get updated too often.
I especially like your proposal to focus on impact of gentrification on downtown culture. Something you might think about is how to pitch the “why we should care” aspect. I’m not questioning if it’s something to care about … just thinking that the public at large probably holds multiple, and even conflicting, opinions. Readers might need to be oriented as to why it matters from the point of view of your article.
I’m looking forward to seeing your stories in development and to reading them!