When urban renewal made its way through Atlanta around the 1960s, it was initially viewed as a progressive policy that would give cities funding to clean up their impoverished areas and invest in affordable housing and urban infrastructure projects. Instead, there were devastating consequences for poor, minority communities who were disproportionately impacted and left with little to no alternative due to the lack of housing options. These communities were cut off from opportunity—and, it was not by choice . Government agencies, such as the Federal Housing Administration, encouraged redlining practices by promoting segregation efforts and refusing to insure mortgages in and near African American neighborhoods. The image below displays a map of Atlanta around the 1940s and shows the most “ideal” locations for white Americans to live in and around the city.
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