Social Geography of Atlanta

Essay by bekenUniversity, Bachelor'sA, February 2006

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The index numbers that describe Atlanta are unusual in many respects, and indicate that the city is made up of extremes. Even the most casual observer who knew nothing about Atlanta would notice theses extremes and conclude that the city must have a number of serious problems. In fact, Atlanta is plagued with problems of racism and inequality. One reason for these problems is that Atlanta "developed as an 'accidental city' with what can generously be described as a laissez-faire approach to planning" (Rutheiser 139). The index figures point to several amazing contradictions such as the fact that there are 325 times the number of people in the city who live below the poverty line as people in the suburbs. Twice as many people in the city exist on $25,000 or less annually, yet more people in the city earn $200,000 or more per year than do people in the suburbs.

The figures reveal that Atlanta is a city of extremes, but they do not reveal who the poor and rich actually are. The figures are limited because they only indicate the differences between city and suburbs. Certain groups are concentrated in the city and live in real poverty. The index showing that 54 percent of Atlanta is white is not very informative. The problem is that whites have not only money but power, and they determine and control all socioeconomic conditions in Atlanta.

Atlanta consists of a city and a number of suburbs. Growth and development have proved to follow very uneven patterns, with the northern part of the metropolitan area demonstrating the only real growth. The population of the suburbs is ten times that of the city. The index figures do not give information about why this difference exists, or how long a period of growth was needed...