Incorporation of New Cities

Incorporation of New Cities has Increased Racial Segregation in Metro Atlanta

The content of this narrative is the results of a study conducted by Havard Joint Center for Housing, this study was published on May 8, 2023, by Luisa Godinez-Puig & Sharon Cornelissen.

Racial segregation and then unequal allocation of resources have long shaped American cities, through a history of both overt and subtle racist policies and practices. While segregation persists today, it is also shifting locations: communities on the outskirts of major cities have emerged as key sites of racial change. This article highlights how municipal incorporations are fostering new racial segregation in metropolitan Atlanta.

Most cityhood movements in Georgia have occurred in white affluent communities in counties that have seen significant demographic shifts since the 1960s, particularly since 2000. In fact, the percentage of non-white people, most of them Black, in suburban Atlanta has significantly increased in all three counties with new cities, especially compared to overall trends in Georgia. It is important to note that the city of Atlanta seats in both Fulton and Dekalb counties. Geographically, Futon is in the southern part of Atlanta, Dekalb is east of the city, and Gwinnett is to the east of Dekalb. Other counties such as Cobb County, which seats west of Atlanta, are just as populated as these counties but their populations largely consist of white people. 

Work on incorporations pre-2000 has found mixed results with respect to the role of race in the incorporation movement. Some research has found that incorporations were trigged by a genuine desire to protect home value, while work has found that white communities used it to ensure racial exclusion. Luisa has studied cityhood movements since 2020 and gas found and has found that most recent cityhood leaders argue they want more control over land use and less redistribution of their tax money to other parts of unincorporated counties. Members of these newer movements generally avoid talking explicitly about racial issues when campaigning for cityhood but they often seek more control over zoning and tax hoarding, which are tools that are often used to maintain residential segregation.

My takeaway from this study is that incorporating a new city diminishes the tax revenue in a city like Atlanta which would cause even more inferior housing, schools, and public services. The new cityhood is done at the ballot box so it’s important that people understand why voting is important as well as getting a clear vision of the things that they are voting for. You can read the entire article on cityhood Havard Joint Center for Housing.

Marvin Dixon/Founder

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