Over the past six months or so on Recut, we've talked about a little bit of everything, from bedbugs to Bird scooters. The newsroom was our oyster, and we were always on the lookout for those times it seemed like there might be more to the story than what made it into the newscast.
We started seeing the same theme pop up again and again: Where you live in Louisville can dramatically affect what your life is like. Depending on which side of Ninth Street you call home, you might be more or less likely to own a car, have internet access, or live next to an abandoned house. You might even be in more or less danger in the event of catastrophic flooding.
In September, we did an episode that spelled it all out: The Thin Line Between Revitalization and Gentrification.
West Louisville, long facing all the challenges we'd been learning about, was suddenly flush with investment dollars and new projects. A track & field complex. A YMCA. A headquarters for Passport Health. A brand new version of Beecher Terrace.
Property values would go up, and prosperity would come to the neighborhood. But with higher property values comes higher property taxes. House flippers were hanging signs and knocking on doors, trying to scoop up property before the promised boom. We started to wonder what these changes would mean for the folks who already call West Louisville home.
So we've decided to make that our new focus. We want to follow the changes in West Louisville in real time — not look back in five years and wonder what happened to the neighborhoods that used to be there.
Starting this spring, we'll bring you a brand new weekly podcast that will tell the story as it unfolds. Lots of people with money and power are making big promises in West Louisville. On this week's episode of Recut, we talk a little about what we hope to accomplish, and share some of the work we've done so far.
