Atlanta is a growing migrant gateway experiencing gentrification in its suburban landscapes. The foreign-born population in Atlanta grew by 292 percent between 2000 and 2010 (Wilson and Singer, 2011). More than half of these migrants arrived from Latin America and took up employment in sectors historically occupied by African Americans. Atlanta has also experienced significant overall population growth and an expanding economy since hosting the 1996 Olympics. This growth contributes to a pro-business and new urbanism approach to development throughout its sprawling suburban landscape and, many argue, leads to gentrification (Jennings, 2016). Migrant settlement in the region reflects both Atlanta’s suburban landscape and the more common geographies of migrant settlement in new gateways with 95% of area migrants (and 92% of all residents) living in suburban areas (McDaniel, et al, 2017; Wilson and Singer, 2011). New urbanism development projects that replace older, privately-owned apartment complexes and single-family homes with high-end, mixed-use structures are implemented with greater frequency in Atlanta’s inner suburban landscapes inhabited by low-income Latinx residents (Markley, 2018). Some argue that this has led to the gentrification of working-class Latinx communities near concentrations of shopping, dining, and entertainment venues.
The Buford Highway area of Atlanta, where this research focuses, is a particularly important center of ethnic businesses, shops, and restaurants. Viewed as an ‘international corridor’ this area supports the regional and local ethnic economy (McDaniel et al, 2017). Yet, it is undergoing rapid change. The area recently experienced an influx of new development and was considered a key location to establish a new Amazon headquarters when the city pitched its location to the technology giant during its global search in 2017-2018 (Figliolini, 2017). Similar to the two other sites, the Buford Highway corridor in Atlanta is illustrative for its recent experiences of capital investment in new physical infrastructure and history of migrant placemaking via food enterprises since the 1990s.
