Atlanta: Race, Class And Urban Expansion (Comparitive American Cities) [Paperback]

Larry Keating (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 2001 | ISBN-10: 1566398215 | ISBN-13: 978-1566398213

Atlanta, the epitome of the New South, is a city whose economic growth has transformed it from a provincial capital to a global city, one that could bid for and win the 1996 Summer Olympics. Yet the reality is that the exceptional growth of the region over the last twenty years has exacerbated inequality, particularly for African Americans. Atlanta, the city of Martin Luther King, Jr., remains one of the most segregated cities in the United States. Despite African American success in winning the mayor's office and control of the City Council, development plans have remained in the control of private business interests. Keating tells a number of troubling stories.What the development of the Underground Atlanta, the construction of the Rapid Rail system (MARTA), the building of a new stadium for the Braves, the redevelopment of public housing, and the arrangements for the Olympic Games all have in common is a lack of democratic process. Instead, business and political elites ignored protests from neighborhood groups, the interests of the poor, and the advice of planners. Larry Keating is Associate Professor of City and Regional Planning at Georgia Institute of Technology. He has worked with Atlanta low-income neighborhood groups and community development corporations for over twenty years, usually through the Community Design Center of Atlanta, which he co-founded in 1977.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Keating makes a unique contribution...this is an important addition to the literature on city planning, as well as on Atlanta. Keating builds a strong case that Atlanta has a history of an anti-planning mindset, and the origins of that mindset are readily explained. He has ample material to make his case." - Professor Clarence N. Stone, Department of Government and Politics, University of Maryland, and author of Regime Politics "Larry Keating's study of Atlanta is more than a meticulous and provocative analysis of economic policy in one American city. It is also suggestive for the nation in showing how race and class intertwine to maintain economic injustice even after legal segregation has been abolished." - Howard Zinn, columnist for The Progressive, and author of A People's History of the United States "Skillfully blends the power analyses of modern Atlanta by Floyd Hunter and Clarence Stone with such classic exposes as those of Lincoln Steffens and Jane Jacobs to create a penetrating portrait of the 'Shame of a Southern City.' Larry Keating's landmark study should be read by historians, social scientists, city planners, decision makers and concerned city dwellers." - Dana F. White, Professor of Urban Studies, Emory University, and author of The Urbanists, 1865-1915 "This book is not just an historical expose on the city, but it's touted as shedding light on many issues such as corporate control of government, city politics and the Southern way of life. Keating ultimately reveals the imbalance between power and progress." - Atlanta Tribune: The Magazine "Keating's book offers a deeply critical analysis of urban planning and policy making in Atlanta's recent history...[he] has provided an excellent study of post-war urban policy and planning in Atlanta, while at the same time challenging the booster image of a rising global city promoted by a succession of elite decision-makers." - Urban History

From the Publisher

Troubling stories about private interests over public development in Atlanta. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 214 pages
• Publisher: Temple University Press (January 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566398215
• ISBN-13: 978-1566398213
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #987,618 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars ATLANTA, January 16, 2007

By 

Shannon Deason (Houston) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Atlanta: Race, Class And Urban Expansion (Comparitive American Cities) (Paperback)

Atlanta is a fantastic case study, its pro business stance, it's racial past and present, it makes a great southern story, worthy of Faulkner, Williams, and Whelty. Alanta's black political elite decided to work with the white business elite, it was either that or become Memphis or New Orleans. The other reviewer makes Atlanta's story sound like a black thing, but it could have never happened without the white buckhead business elite, get real, money makes the world go round. One of the biggest contriversies today is the demographics of Atlanta, which is becoming more and more caucasion persuasion, and the black mayor of atlanta says, if they pay tax's and are making the city richer, so be it..now there is a politician and a perfect example of why Atlanta is so successful. As for this book, it's well researched, but definitely has an agenda, but i highly recommend it, but it's not the last word on Atlanta.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars one of the better books about Atlanta, January 24, 2002

By 

Michael Lewyn (Forest Hills, NY) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Atlanta: Race, Class And Urban Expansion (Comparitive American Cities) (Paperback)

Atlanta continues to fascinate policy analysts -- not just because of its all too common sprawl, but because Atlanta politics combines two features not commonly seen together: African-American domination of the electoral process and business domination of development policy. If you are going to read one book about Atlanta, read Keating's. Keating explains how business worked with the African-American elite to shape Atlanta, and generally is quite critical of the results. My only quibble: as the editorial reviews indicate, Keating is not happy about how Atlanta turned out. I wish he had explained whether he thinks a less pro-business city government would have achieved better results. Certainly, demographically similar cities with more populist, anti-business leaders (such as Marion Barry's Washington) do not have superior public service or less middle-class flight than Atlanta.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Insight into the Development of Atlanta, February 24, 2012

By 

Uriel M Vaknin - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Atlanta: Race, Class And Urban Expansion (Comparitive American Cities) (Paperback)

This book gives great insight into how race and politics have shaped the development of Atlanta. Having groen up in Atlanta, I was shocked to learn how insidious racial politics were in the city's development. It also answered a lot of questions I have had about certain oddities in the city - such as why the Interstate Connector makes that dangerous curve downtown, or why the area by the Civic Center is completely devoid of a single historic structure, or why parks such as Frankie Allen Park (formerly Bagley Field) in Buckhead exist.

If you are interested in Atlanta's development in the 20th Century, this is a must read.