Home to more than 6 million people, the Atlanta region is the ninth largest metro region in the nation and it is still rapidly growing. In part because of this unprecedented population boom, Atlanta currently ranks fifth among U.S. cities experiencing gentrification, with more than 46% of its census tracts characterized as gentrifying. The problem has intensified with the Atlanta Beltline’s growth, a multibillion-dollar development project that has squeezed many low-income and predominantly Black communities out of their neighborhoods, which have already faced continuous waves of displacement. To combat these forces of displacement and gentrification, the mayor has prioritized affordable housing, setting various ambitious housing goals as outlined in the ONE Atlanta: Housing Affordability Action Plan. This includes pledging to create or preserve 20,000 affordable homes by 2026 and investing $1 billion from public, private, and philanthropic sources to produce and preserve affordable housing.
To build on these meaningful commitments to legacy residents, FUSE will partner with the mayor’s office to shape and implement critical initiatives aimed at mitigating displacement. FUSE will initiate neighborhood-specific interventions that will prevent predominantly low-income and Black Atlantans from being pushed farther away from opportunity and driven from their unique communities.
