Project Proposal: The U Street Corridor Transformed

For my final project, I would like to assemble an audio slide show documenting the 30-year transformation of Washington's U Street Corridor. In the last three decades, the area has morphed from a predominately black and low-income enclave to a high-end, multicultural hot spot. During the early 1990s, many small businesses and wealthy homeowners abandoned the area, priming it for drugs and violence. A city-wide revitalization effort launched in the early 2000s, brought dozens of new businesses, new visitors, new condominiums, new residents and a significant amount of criticism. The people who had lived in the community for decades were, in many cases, forced out. I would like to speak with business owners, residents (new and old) and patrons that frequent the area about the impact that the transformation has had on them. Time alloted 3.5 to 4 minutes.