Atlanta is often cited as a prime example of a progressive New
South metropolis in which blacks and whites have forged "a city too
busy to hate." But Ronald Bayor argues that the city continues to
bear the indelible mark of racial bias. Offering the first
comprehensive history of Atlanta race relations, he discusses the
impact of race on the physical and institutional development of the
city from the end of the Civil War through the mayorship of Andrew
Young in the 1980s. Bayor shows the extent of inequality,
investigates the gap between rhetoric and reality, and presents a
fresh analysis of the legacy of segregation and race relations for
the American urban environment.
Bayor explores frequently ignored public policy issues through the
lens of race--including hospital care, highway placement and
development, police and fire services, schools, and park use, as
well as housing patterns and employment. He finds that racial
concerns profoundly shaped Atlanta, as they did other American
cities. Drawing on oral interviews and written records, Bayor
traces how Atlanta's black leaders and their community have
responded to the impact of race on local urban development. By
bringing long-term urban development into a discussion of race,
Bayor provides an element missing in usual analyses of cities and
race relations.