This is the first story in a series on “climate gentrification” in Black neighborhoods. Support for this series was provided by The Neal Peirce Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting journalism on ways to make cities and their larger regions work better for all people.
ATLANTA — By the time Atlanta hosts a World Cup semifinal at Mercedes‑Benz Stadium this summer, city officials will have spent years pouring billions into a new entertainment district and transit upgrades to impress the world. The question residents in nearby Black neighborhoods are asking is who, exactly, all that preparation is meant for.
On a cold January afternoon, Alfred Tucker, an 83‑year‑old lifelong Atlantan, stood at the edge of Rodney Cook Sr. Park and pointed back toward downtown, where the stadium looms over the Gulch like a steel crown…