Urban Holism: The Empowerment Zone and Economic Development in Atlanta

This Article focuses on the 1990s renaissance in Atlanta, a time where the rate of violent crime was at the lowest it had been in years and the population was growing for the first time in thirty years. It focuses on three specific explanations of the renaissance: the holistic approach to development, the Empowerment Zone, the community policing program, and the reinvention of public housing. The holistic approach involves an interplay of both the public and private sectors of the city, with no singular method used to revitalize the inner city communities. The Empowerment Zone, a plan created by President Clinton, leveraged private sector dollars to help redevelop areas in decline.

Community policing has brought the city police closer with citizens, subsequently lowering crime. Finally, the city's public housing projects have created many mixed income communities.