Reclaiming Space: Addressing Urban Stratification in Atlanta's Bankhead Neighborhood

Picture Bankhead, Atlanta, a neighborhood woven with Black cultural history, where generations of families have shaped a strong, resilient community. But now, that fabric is fraying. Luxury developments rise where community landmarks once stood, coffee shops replace local staples, and long-time residents are priced out. At the center of this transformation is the Atlanta Beltline, originally envisioned as a unifying greenway, now a powerful catalyst for displacement in neighborhoods like Bankhead. The root of this crisis is not just affordability, but a deep housing imbalance: a polarized system of luxury high-rises and clustered affordable housing, leaving middle-income residents without space to belong. This thesis responds with a three-layered urban design strategy that redefines renewal through cultural preservation and spatial equity. The first layer, the porch level, celebrates the social architecture of the Black South, the stoops, porches, and front yards where community life unfolds. It restores these thresholds as shared spaces of identity, memory, and daily ritual. The second layer, an extension of the Beltline, reframes the infrastructure not as a dividing force but as a connector, supporting walkability, public art, and Black-owned businesses to strengthen neighborhood economies. The third layer proposes a new housing development rooted in the “missing middle”: duplexes, triplexes, and courtyard buildings that offer attainable housing options while blending with the existing scale and character of Bankhead. This approach draws from global and domestic case studies of social housing that integrate seamlessly into the urban fabric, projects that preserve community integrity while addressing density and affordability. Grounded in participatory design and grassroots collaboration, the project begins by activating public space, then inserts housing that balances density, dignity, and place. It offers a counter-model to conventional gentrification by demonstrating that equitable growth is possible when communities shape their own development futures. As someone born just south of Atlanta, I’ve watched Black neighborhoods transform under the pressures of unchecked development. Bankhead represents more than a place, it is a legacy. This thesis is a call to protect that legacy by reshaping the forces of change to work for the people who made this neighborhood home. It’s a blueprint for turning the Beltline from a symbol of displacement into a tool of justice, ensuring that Bankhead not only survives but thrives.