Atlanta's East Lake neighborhood provides model for communities nationwide

Atlanta’s East Lake neighborhood has received national recognition for its approach to community revitalization and reshaping what equitable growth can look like.

Ilham “Illy” Askia leads the East Lake Foundation, where a holistic model brings together mixed-income housing, cradle-through-college education, and community wellness to support long-term residents and expand opportunity.

Askia says the East Lake model is now used in more than 25 communities across the country, including those here in Atlanta, and that it can be effective anywhere leaders keep the focus on residents and neighborhoods at the heart of that change.