Shiny new things for up and comers

Last week Atlantic Cities found this amusing ad campaign from the mid 80s promoting Atlanta's grand vision of shopping malls and office parks.

Atlanta: A Visual Postcard promotes all the things most tourism videos would probably shy away from in 2013 -- an intimidating mixing bowl of highways, shopping malls, and "futuristic" office buildings that allegedly brought "urban flavor to the suburbs." All in all, a place that symbolized "the new South."

Fair enough.  But, at the time, this was the vision of the kind of city the well off and successful wanted to live in (or.. at least on the outskirts of.)   Try to think less about the aesthetics of what's being built and instead focus on who it's being built for and you'll see that very little has actually changed.

Kabacoff said Iberville’s new buildings will have four floors and will evoke the Storyville era. Prices will accommodate a range of incomes, including former public housing residents, people making less than $30,000 per year and those willing to pay what the market will bear — perhaps $1,400 per month for a two-bedroom place.

“Density is good as long as you don’t concentrate the poor,” Kabacoff said, shifting into developer mode. Because Iberville abuts the French Quarter, “this is as good a location as you can have in New Orleans.”

He added, “This plan gives us the kinds of buildings you want.”

But HANO and HRI have enough money to build only 227 units. Plans call for more mixed-income housing as part of what’s known as the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative: approximately 660 more units at Iberville and another 1,500 units to be spread throughout downtown, Treme and part of Mid-City. Much of this housing will be apartment buildings and will require tens of millions of dollars more, Kabacoff said. Where will the money come from? He doesn’t yet know.