This is a pivotal moment for west Louisville. There's a track & field complex planned, a new YMCA in the works, and the renovation of Beecher Terrace. But as property values rise, so do property taxes, and that can be a hardship for the people already living there. Is this revitalization? Or gentrification? Here Today will track the changes in Louisville's West End, and tell the stories of the people who call it home. +.Read more »
This is a pivotal moment for west Louisville. There's a track & field complex planned, a new YMCA in the works, and the renovation of Beecher Terrace. But as property values rise, so do property taxes, and that can be a hardship for the people already living there. Is this revitalization? Or gentrification? Here Today will track the changes in Louisville's West End, and tell the stories of the people who call it home. +.Read Less
After learning about all the ways revitalization could go wrong, we wanted to learn about the city's plan for avoiding the pitfalls that have happened elsewhere.
Here's a section of Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer's third inaugural speech, given in January of this year:
"[L]ook at what’s happening in west Louisville. Nearly a billion dollars of investment funding catalytic projects: The expansion of Waterfront Park, the Louisville Urban League Sports and Learning Complex at 30th and Ali, the YMCA and the new Passport Headquarters at 18th and Broadway, and the Beecher Terrace and Russell revitalization.
For that work, we’re collaborating with the people of Russell, along with businesses, faith groups and other community partners to make sure we restore the great legacy of this neighborhood – once celebrated as the Harlem of the South – without displacing anyone who wants to remain there."
That last bit of emphasis is ours. This week on the show, we sit down with the mayor to ask what plans are in place to prevent displacement in the West End, and we hear from some experts about whether the city is on the right track.
Here Today is a listener-supported project. YOU make it possible for us to hold the people in power accountable for the promises they make. Click here to chip in: wfpl.org/supportheretoday +