Atlanta in the Postwar Era
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View looking down Forsyth Street in downtown Atlanta, 1948.
Courtesy of the Atlanta History Center, Joe McTyre Photograph Collection, 1889-1985, undated.
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Slum housing in Atlanta was associated with poverty and often lacked access to adequate utilities.
Courtesy of Georgia State University. Libraries, Lane Brothers Commercial Photographers Photographic Collection, 1920-1978.
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This map from 1954 shows the spatial segregation of Atlanta; certain neighborhoods were occupied predominantly by either Black or white Atlantans.
Courtesy of Georgia State University. Libraries, Planning Atlanta: A New City in the Making, 1930s - 1990s.
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Aerial view of downtown Atlanta in 1940 before urban renewal.
Courtesy of the Atlanta History Center, Atlanta Blue Print and Graphics Company Photographs, 1961-1962, undated.
In the period immediately following the end of World War II, Atlanta was prospering from the growth of war-related industries, which helped boost the economy following the Great Depression. The growth of industry and business in Atlanta led to rapid population growth and, ultimately, a shortage of housing. The additional strain on the city’s urban infrastructure, particularly in working-class neighborhoods, led to overcrowding and an increase in slum-like conditions. Institutions like the Atlanta Housing Authority were tasked with ameliorating these conditions. The spatial geography of Atlanta in the postwar era was shaped by Jim Crow laws that contributed to residential segregation. This segregation of the urban landscape would have lasting effects on public housing policy and urban renewal projects.