Stanford Humanities Center
Vannessa Velez is a PhD candidate in history at Stanford University. Her research broadly examines the historical impact of globalization on urban environments, with particular attention to environmental inequality.
SHC Project
No Promised Land: Environmental Governance and Environmental Inequality in Globalizing Atlanta, 1949-1990
Velez's dissertation traces the environmental and political history of metro-Atlanta’s rapid economic development from the beginning of national urban renewal in 1949 to 1996 when the city cemented its status as a global hub after hosting the Centennial Olympics. She explores how Atlanta’s early and enthusiastic embrace of globalization led to great economic success and widespread celebration as the new "Black Mecca" for African American business and culture, but these achievements ultimately came at the expense of the city’s most vulnerable communities and their local environments.
