NEIGHBORHOOD PLANNING UNIT (NPU)-V Community Profile

• NPU-V (located in South Atlanta) consists of five in-town neighborhoods: Adair Park, Mechanicsville, Peoplestown, Pittsburgh, and Summerhill/Capital View. 
• The total population of NPU-V is 15,825.  The socio-demographic profile of the NPU-V community (see Figure 1) as compared to the rest of the City of Atlanta indicates a higher African-American population, lower employment rates and income, and higher rates of crime and high school drop out ^[1] . 
• NPU-V is impacted by multiple stresses, including negative health outcomes:

§         For every 10,000 residents, 73.6 people were hospitalized for diabetes compared to 12.2 people in other parts of Fulton County. 

§         Ninety-six men and 75 women per 10,000 from the area were hospitalized for ischemic heart disease compared to 61 men and 32 women per 10,000 in the rest of Fulton County. 

§    In addition, hospitalization rates for asthma in South Atlanta for children 0-17 years old, is almost five times the rate of North Fulton County ^[2] . 

 

Figure 1. NPU-V Social Determinants

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brief History

The neighborhoods of NPU-V thrived in the early to mid-1900s, but as Atlanta grew to the north and west during the 1960s, NPU-V was left with a plethora of vacant lots, dilapidated and vacant homes and abandoned commercial buildings. The construction of Interstates 75/85 and 20 cut the neighborhoods off from other parts of the city, and the diversity and economic fabric of NPU-V declined. Data collected by GSU IPH indicate an 86% decline in commerce between 1962 and 2006 and a current building vacancy rate of 42%.

 

Future Opportunities

Cyclical interest in urban renewal continues to impact the precarious social, economic and environmental state of the NPU-V community. An example of this is the Atlanta BeltLine project, a proposed 22 mile transit greenway that will run through the southern border of the community. BeltLine plans include the redevelopment of the once active industrial areas into higher density retail, residential and commercial uses. These factors make the next 5 – 10 years extremely important for the viability of the community fabric of NPU-V.  It is imperative that residents from the NPU-V neighborhoods have the ability and confidence to collaborate with health and planning officials in order to renew the environmental and commercial health of their communities.