Center for Urban Research hopes to address socioeconomic inequities in Atlanta neighborhoods

In this March 2016, file photo, a pedestrian walks through the Georgia Tech campus as the downtown Atlanta skyline looms in the background. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

The Georgia Institute of Technology and the City of Atlanta Office of the Mayor have launched a new center to address socioeconomic inequities in Atlanta neighborhoods.

It’s called the Center for Urban Research.

David Edwards, who serves as the director of the center, was a guest on Wednesday’s edition of “Closer Look.”

Ewards told program host Rose Scott that the center was birthed in 2020, in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement. And is a result of several conversations to create a structural response to close racial equity gaps and influence public policy aimed at helping distressed communities in Atlanta.

According to a Georgia Tech press release, the center will serve as a research, evaluation, and reporting hub to develop cutting-edge research on community development.