"Seeking to curtail gentrification and displacement, Atlanta and Chicago put construction and demolition moratoriums in place early this year. In Atlanta, construction permits were banned until Dec. 4 to slow investor activity near the western portions of the Beltline, a trail system under construction that is laid over old railroad tracks and driving up the value of real estate everywhere it winds.
Chicago made a similar move, prohibiting until February 2021 demolition of old two- and four-flats, which were being torn down in favor of large single-family houses, in the western portions of the 606 trail. Similar to Atlanta’s Beltline, the 606 is laid out over old rail tracks, in this case elevated ones, providing an urban greenway through several northwest Chicago neighborhoods. In both cases, public investment in the popular trails led to a jump in the value of privately owned real estate."
"Similar proposals are under discussion in New York, where a major expansion of Harlem’s Lenox Terrace housing complex has led to moratorium calls, and Gainesville, Fla., where student housing at the University of Florida may threaten historically Black neighborhoods."
