Lessons From the Olympics

Summary In the New York Times’s review of Atlanta’s renovation, they go over the fear of gentrification, the lack of complete renovation, and for a few paragraphs, go over the concerns that all of this renovation wasn’t great for the people living there. An interesting quote from former Mayor Jackson: “If you’re going to have…

The Olympics

Summary In preparation for the Olympics, the city removed residents and homeless alike through various laws and reconstruction. When it came to laws that sought to remove homeless people, Atlanta was eventually ordered by a federal court to “‘cease and desist’ the pattern and practice of arresting homeless people without probable cause”(Gustafson, 2013) after the…

Crawford Middle School

Summary These two articles follow the story of Crawford Middle school. They are both by Drew Kann. Jan 10, 2022, the EPA ordered that a waste site owned by TAV Holdings Inc. stop functions immediately. They were worried about danger to human health in the area (Kann, 2022). Professor Eri Saikawa of Emory University, who…

Redlining and Air Pollution

Summary This study by Haley M. Lane, Rachel Morello-Frosch, Julian D. Marshall, and Joshua S. Apte looks to study the connection between redlining and air pollution exposure as well as race and air pollution exposure. They look at the presence of NO2 and PM2.5 in the air using air pollution data from 2010 and a…

Which neighborhoods were redlined?

Summary In your investigations into environmental racism, disparities in toxic sites and tree cover, the issue of classism and owning property come into play. Redlining has been a historical theme in property allocation. It is the act of using maps made by the Home Owners Loan Association to distribute loans.  This is a map that…

Vine City and Lead

Summary These two government documents pertain to the lead in the soil of the Vine City area (near Mercedes Benz stadium and Spelman College, and Clark Atlanta). Fulton county. Two big takeaways from these sources. “Historically, dozens of foundries operated in Atlanta with documentation going back to the late 1800s.”(EPA). Additionally, there were lead levels…

 Redlining and Temperature Disparity

Summary This study by Jeremy S. Hoffman, Vivek Shandas, and Nicholas Pendleton look at redlining and temperature. It is attempting to relate the results of today’s results in temperature distribution within cities across America with the risk assessment for loans of the HOLC(Home Owner’s Loans Corporation). There are four categories for loans. “Best”, “Still Desirable”,…

Stonecrest and Metro Green

Summary These two sources are from local news and the website of Super District 7 Commissioner, Lorraine Cochran-Johnson. She is running for reelection in December of 2022 and the release of this article was September 2021. This was probably not a PR stunt for reelection. The article on Lorraine Cochran-Johnson’s website was written by Zach…

Toxic Release Inventories

Summary This Study by Ryan Johnson, Kim Ramsey-White, and Christina H. Fuller investigates the history and outcomes of companies in the metro Atlanta area which are considered, by the EPA, to be TRI’s. Toxic release inventories, or TRI’s, are companies which produce more than 25,000 pounds of toxic waste a year and/or companies that handle…

At the WNI Garden

I am so glad we got to help the Willie North Institute hold that little family gardening event. What a beautiful time. I loved seeing the kids and their families enjoy each other and the outdoors, even if it was still in the middle of the city and all its pollution, car accidents, and police….