Gentrification in Atlanta: A look at the Pittsburgh community

South Fulton County

Gentrification in Atlanta: A look at the Pittsburgh community

PHOTOS: Atlantans, new and old, are afraid of being priced out of their homes. Rising home prices and gentrification remain threats to many residents.

David Blakley, who has lived in Pittsburgh for eight years, walks his two daughters Rachelle, 9, and Mozel, 6, home from school Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 28, 2021. Ben Gray for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Okra grows in a community garden next to an anti-gentrification mural in the Pittsburgh community of Southwest Atlanta. Ben Gray for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Barbara Davis posted this sign next to the front door of the Pittsburgh house she bought when she was just 23. Ben Gray for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

An old, upshot bullet lays in the road in the Pittsburgh community of Southwest Atlanta on Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 28, 2021. Ben Gray for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Barbara Davis bought the Pittsburgh house she still lives in when she was just 23. She has spent her whole life in the Pittsburgh and neighboring Mechanicsville communities of Southwest Atlanta. Ben Gray for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A recent AJC poll, conducted by the University of Georgia’s School of Public and International Affairs, showed that 56% of respondents were critical of the city’s approach to affordable housing. Ben Gray for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

An abandoned house covered with “we buy houses” signs in the Pittsburgh community of Southwest Atlanta. Ben Gray for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A bicyclist passes the Pittsburgh Yards project Tuesday afternoon, Sept. 28, 2021, while riding on a recently opened section of the Atlanta Beltline that runs along the southern edge of the Pittsburgh community. . Ben Gray for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Nia Building at Pittsburgh Yards, a professional and maker space near Adair Park, Capitol Gateway, Mechanicsville, Peoplestown, Pittsburgh and Summerhill neighborhoods in southwest Atlanta on Tuesday, September 7, 2021. (Rebecca Wright for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Heiress Brown, founder and director of Fashion Workshops, right, and Kitara Amet work in the coworking space in the Nia Building at Pittsburgh Yards. (Rebecca Wright for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Kristina Newton works in the Nia Building at Pittsburgh Yards, a professional and maker space near Adair Park, Capitol Gateway, Mechanicsville, Peoplestown, Pittsburgh and Summerhill neighborhoods in southwest Atlanta on Tuesday, September 7, 2021. (Rebecca Wright for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Frugal Chics Roc founder and creator Nyota Byfield poses for a photo in her space in the Nia Building. (Rebecca Wright for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Spaces to work and relax are seen on the roof of the Nia Building at Pittsburgh Yards. (Rebecca Wright for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Makeisha Robey, founder of The Happy Black Parent, poses in the Nia Building. (Rebecca Wright for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

The surrounding neighborhood is seen near at Pittsburgh Yards, a professional and maker space near Adair Park, Capitol Gateway, Mechanicsville, Peoplestown, Pittsburgh and Summerhill neighborhoods in southwest Atlanta. (Rebecca Wright for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Common space is seen near the lobby in the Nia Building at Pittsburgh Yards. (Rebecca Wright for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

A George F. Baker III mural is seen in the Nia Building. (Rebecca Wright for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Graffiti is seen outside the south creative wing at the Nia Building at Pittsburgh Yards, . (Rebecca Wright for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

People sit in the lobby at Pittsburgh Yards. (Rebecca Wright for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Repurpposed trailers were used to create working cubicles in the lobby of the Nia building at Pittsburgh Yards. (Rebecca Wright for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

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Credit: Ben Gray

David Blakley, who has lived in Pittsburgh for eight years, walks his two daughters Rachelle, 9, and Mozel, 6, home from school Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 28, 2021. Ben Gray for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

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