Urban Renewal's Impact on Asheville's Black Community
featuring Priscilla Ndiaye Robinson
TITLE: Urban Renewal’s Impact on Asheville’s Black Community
AUTHOR: Compiled from reports by The Urban News, Priscilla N. Robinson, and the City of Asheville
PERMISSION: Fair Use + permission to publish granted by The Urban News and by Priscilla Ndiaye Robinson
According to the City of Asheville’s Urban Renewal and City-Owned Property website: “During the 1960s-1990s, the City of Asheville through the Asheville Redevelopment Commission and the Housing Authority conducted multiple Urban Renewal projects. Three of these projects were in African-American neighborhoods: Southside (East Riverside), East End/ValleyStreet, and Montford (including Stumptown). These projects were very different from each other in terms of impact, focus, and outcomes. In all cases, Urban Renewal projects had the following in common: residences and properties were acquired which resulted in the displacement of residents and businesses, the social fabric of the community was disrupted, road patterns changed, and infrastructure was built (water and/or sewer lines in streets)."
One former resident of pre-renewal Southside took it upon herself to flesh out the dispassionate description above. In 2002, The Urban News interviewed Priscilla N. Robinson about her motivation and passion: “After discovering [the 428-acre uprooting of people and the resulting“root shock”], and after referencing Asheville’s Urban Renewal from files stored away in boxes at UNC Asheville’s Special Collection, I acquired a yearning to learn more…I received a community grant through the Preservation Society of Asheville and Buncombe County which allowed me to place much of my acquired information into a website, http://urbanrenewalimpact.org.This website also allows other community members to upload history. It is important for people to know history.”
Ms. Robinson’s website is a treasure trove of stories and information related to Asheville’s urban renewal and its impact on the Black community. An interactive map, “Remapping Community,” was her vision. “I wanted to revisit the community in which I was born and grew up,” she writes. “Seeing the actual homes as I maneuver through the map triggered personal memories. I lived at 477 South French Broad. If you search for ‘Herbert Robinson,’ you can locate the apartment building. We live on the first floor. You will see my family on the porch as the appraiser snapped pictures. Ms. Bernice Littlejohn, a widow, lived at 106 Black Street. She used to make the best cupcakes. You could smell the aroma coming out of the house. Ms. Littlejohn was given $7,500 for her home. Ms. Sophie Foster lived at 498 South French Broad and was one of the largest families in the community. She was given $4,500 for her home and never rebuilt on the $1 lot she was told she could rebuild on. The property clearly remains bare. Will her children receive reparation?
“Just thinking,” Priscilla Robinson continues, “were all the homes acquired by Housing Authority City of Asheville (HACA) sold/transferred to the City of Asheville? All the homes were not blighted. Were those homeowners given higher value or did they get categorized as blighted, too? What about those taken by eminent domain? To get a general idea, I Googled ‘How much did a 3 bedroom house cost in 1970.’ In 1950, prices went up to $7,354. In 1960, prices rose to $11,900. In 1970 prices rose to $17,000. We must remember the purchase prices during Urban Renewal fell within the ‘Redline’ strategy. In July 2021, Asheville home prices were up 15.3% compared to [the year before], selling for a median price of $386K.”
Excerpts from the website are on display at Grind coffeehouse in Asheville's River Arts District.
