Access to Basic Needs for the Poor: Geographic Analysis of Metro Atlanta

Metro Atlanta is one of the fastest growing metros in the U.S. and has the 10th largest economy in the U.S. as measured by Gross Metro Product (GMP). With population of 5,789,700 people in 2016, Metro Atlanta also becomes the 9th most populated metropolitan area in the U.S.

However, despite its stellar economic performance in general, Atlanta is also known for its impoverished clusters where poverty is endemic. A study from Harvard’s Joint Center on Housing Studies shows that the number of poverty neighborhoods in Atlanta has tripled, from 102 in 2000 to 304 in 2015. The same study also shows a trend of shifting poverty from urban to suburban area all over America. As being mentioned in the video, one of the reasons for this growing poverty is the increasingly out of reach economic opportunity and basic facilities for many community residents.

With those being said, this research answers two questions: 1) whether the extremely poor neighborhoods are located in the suburban area, and 2) whether these neighborhoods have sufficient access to basic needs, which include education, hospitals, and retail stores.

My geographic analysis on these two questions is presented on the story map below:

Author: Josia Paska Darmawan