Generation Rent

The “great recession” shifted a lot of people’s priorities, including homeownership. I had two good friends lose their jobs and one lost their home. The other was always expecting to find a foreclosure sign stuck to his front door when he came home from pounding the pavement in search of work.

I rode out the recession by living in a rented apartment. As a matter of fact, I’m about to re-sign my lease for another year. In 2015, I’ll have been living in the same apartment for a decade. I have absolutely no desire to move or buy a home. My building in the Old Fourth Ward is quiet (the thing I value most) and the rent, although slightly high, is still reasonable for the area.

I’ve heard all the arguments about renting vs. owning, and I’ve never been moved by them. I like the conveniences and the amenities, I like the valet trash, the fact that maintenance will come and change my light bulbs, steam my carpet, fix a cracked hardwood floor, or completely replace my air conditioning unit. I’ve never drilled down into my psyche about what puts me off about owning a home – maybe it’s just not wanting the responsibility or being tied down to the same spot.

Judging from the proliferation of apartment projects in Atlanta, the increased rents, and properties trying to outdo each other with luxury amenities (on-site dog spa or bike repair shop, anyone?), many people have decided that renting is also a viable part of the “American dream.”

If you turn to page 42, I tried to cover as many of the inprogress and announced projects we could cram into our pages. As I compiled the list, I couldn’t help but think back to the proliferation of condos that preceded the economic downturn. Everyone knew that bubble was going to burst eventually, maybe not in such a dramatic fashion, but a market correction was inevitable.

I’ve started hearing murmurs about “too many apartments,” but with Atlanta’s growth, I doubt we’ll ever have too many apartments. With the demand starting to return for condos, I could see some of these luxury rentals easily being transformed into purchasable properties.

With all the choices and amenities in apartment living, maybe I should start thinking about a change of scenery.

About The Cover

The graphic novel, Penny Palabras, created by James Willard and Patrick Beavers, is a dark tale of a young girl fighting of a demon called the Straw Man. The novel was so popular in digital form, that a print version is in the works, not to mention a sequel. Read more about the creation of Penny Palabras on Page 28.

By Collin Kelley INtown Editor

The Center for Civil and Human Rights in Downtown Atlanta will open to the public on June 23. Seven years in the making, the 42,000-square-foot facility is located on Pemberton Place adjacent to the Georgia Aquarium and the World of Coca-Coca, which donated the land.

The Center’s origins began with civil rights legends Evelyn Lowery and former United Nations Ambassador Andrew Young, and gained broad-based corporate and community support to become one of the few places in the world educating visitors on the connection between the American Civil Rights Movement and contemporary Human Rights Movements around the world.

Under the slogan “Inspiration Lives Here,” the Center will feature immersive and interactive exhibits, including the use of state-of-the-art binaural surround sound to put visitors into situations like the experience of a protester sitting at a segregated lunch counter.

Another exhibit, “Who Like Me is Threatened,” uses a mirror and sensors to recognize a visitor’s presence. The visitor touches a set of descriptors, and a hologramlike image approaches from the other side of the mirror and tells a brief story of their life, about how their rights are threatened because of the common trait you share with them.

The “Human Rights Around the World” wall will be a scrolling news ticker with relevant current events and interactive information tables.

Perhaps the most notable exhibit is “Voice to the Voiceless: The Morehouse College Martin Luther King, Jr. Collection.” Items on display will include Dr. King’s report card in public speaking from Crozier Theological Seminary, a comic book about MLK and the Montgomery Bus Boycott displayed as graphic text panels; and the briefcase he was carrying the day he was assassinated in Memphis.

For more information, visit cchrpartnership.org.

ABOVE: Work continues on the Center for Civil and Human Rights ahead of its official June 23 opening next door to the World of Coca-Cola.

3 Bedrooms/3 Bathrooms