Race, Rezoning, and Risk: Uncovering the Demographic and Air Pollution Patterns of Zoning Changes in Atlanta, GA Public
Boehme, Christiana (Spring 2022)
Abstract
This thesis examines links between zoning changes, or the different types of zoning changes, the demographic characteristics of where they occur, and residential cancer risk estimates within the City of Atlanta, Georgia from 1996 to 2021. Through using the digital geographic system (GIS) layer from the Atlanta Department of City Planning, which documents information about historic and current rezoning cases, as well through creating a novel ordinal scale to identify zoning designations by order of increasing allowable density and the intensity of permitted land use activities, I was able to analyze where, and which kinds of, rezonings occur. This information was combined with demographic, social, housing, and economic indicators from the 2000 Decennial census, and multiple ACS 5-Year-Estimates reports, to understand the distribution of rezonings and the demographic characteristics of residents experiencing them overtime. Further, a fixed-effects regression analysis using panel data was utilized with census tracts as the units of analysis, and five periods aligned with the availability of total cancer risk estimates from the EPA National Air Toxics Assessment reports. The results yielded that there is a positive, statistically significant relationship between the percentage of White residents in a tract and cancer risk estimates, likely signaling the change in demographic characteristics of neighborhoods experiencing gentrification-led redevelopment. Additionally, it was discovered that there is a positive relationship between zoning changes that allow for increased density and more intense land-use activities, referred to as upzoning, and total cancer risk estimates, providing evidence that upzonings are associated with an increase in the cancer risk of residents. It appears that race is not a significant factor in rezoning occurrences, with the racial composition of residents being similar for areas experiencing different types of zoning changes from 1996 to 2021. This may be due to the blending of residents as a result of recent gentrification in Atlanta. There is an inherent need for further research as rezoning occurrences continue to increase in cities across the U.S., and so examining their impact on residential outcomes is critical. Municipal planners must recognize the importance of equity in their decisions, which often become political as cities continue to gentrify to meet demands for urban housing from developers, investors, politicians, and urban professionals.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................1
Historical Background.....................................................................................................................7
The Legacy of Discrimination in City Planning and Zoning...............................................7
The Efficacy of the Fair Housing Act of 1968 on Segregation............................................11
The Historical Development of Zoning Ordinances in Atlanta...........................................13
Literature Review...........................................................................................................................16
Municipal Zoning Laws and the Siting of LULUs...............................................................16
Demographic Patterns in Civic Engagement and Local Election Voter Turnout...............19
The Pollution Burden and Environmental Racism..............................................................22
Existing Studies on Rezoning and Residential Impacts.......................................................24
Theory, Research Questions, and Hypotheses................................................................................29
Research Design, Methods, and Data.............................................................................................35
The Selection of Atlanta for a Case Study..........................................................................35
The Rezoning Process in Atlanta........................................................................................37
Data Sources......................................................................................................................42
Indicators and Variables....................................................................................................46
Time Period and Units of Analysis......................................................................................48
Research Design and Data Analysis Strategies..................................................................48
Findings and Interpretation of Results ...........................................................................................51
Limitations.........................................................................................................................74
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................75
Appendix........................................................................................................................................78
References......................................................................................................................................86
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