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IDeas r e P o r t s F r o M C i t i e s Fa r & W i d e
brieFs
How Real Estate Superhero Subculture
Owns Us By Alyssa Katz
By Ariella Cohen
It was a warmish spring
alarming speed with the night and Dark Guardian
help of vandalism and fires. had on his trademark
The story of why historic chest-hugging motorcycle
neighborhoods in the heart armor and bulletproof
of Atlanta are suffering the vest. His face shining
worst ravages of post-real- under the streetlamps,
estate-bubble abandonment the 24-year-old strode
tells a tale happening all purposefully across
over the country: An over- Manhattan’s Washington
saturation of new housing Square Park. When he
is draining demand for the reached his target — a
old. Houses less than 1,000 burly man he believed to
square feet, those that be a drug dealer — he
need structural work or stopped and ordered the
lack central air — these are man to leave the park.
everywhere in older urban “I got you on video. I
neighborhoods, and too few got you on audio sell-
people want to live in them. ing drugs,” barked
Atlanta, a region of Dark Guardian, one of
5 million, saw 75,000 a growing movement of
ILLustratIoNs BY DaVID seNIor; PHoto BY eNeas VIa fLICkr
building permits in 2005 American city-dwellers
The Atlanta neighbor- lives in one, it’s a homeless alone, and since 1991 had occupying territory once
hoods of Adair Park and person who pried open the ranked No. 1 in the nation reserved for comic-book
Capitol View, both listed plywood despite neighbors’ for new construction. creatures.
on the National Register of best efforts to bolt it shut. (Today it’s at No. 4.) Most Dark Guardian, real
Historic Places, are home to In places like these, for every of that growth was in the name Chris Pollak, is
sturdy craftsman bungalows bold new homeowner who region’s suburbs, which a real-life superhero.
and more modest workers’ swoops in on the chance to range over 10 counties. Taking to the streets
housing of like vintage. buy a historic fixer-upper for By the usual measures of in homespun hero garb
They sit near efficient mass the price of a Prius, three economic success, this to fight crime, help the
transit in a city choked with speculators are looking to was all as it should be. homeless or do other
traffic. The population is flip once property values New home construction, kinds of community
growing as new migrants recover, turning banks’ as measured by the U.S. service, he and other self-
seek job opportunities. Yet mortal losses into their Census New Residential proclaimed “reals” are
house after house now sits own gains. Left vacant, the Construction Survey, is, as popping up in cities from
boarded up. If someone houses self-destruct with any news consumer knows, continued on page 17
ideas
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Change, it is often said, singlehandedly initiated baby boomers will be 65 brieFs
is the only thing you can