There Goes the Neighborhood | Reclaiming the Southside from 'Urban Removal'

Before there was a South Slope or River Arts District, those neighborhoods were wrapped into a swath of Asheville called Southside. Southside still exists, but its formal boundaries are tighter, separated from more prosperous neighborhoods.

People fighting for Southside’s identity and relevance are asking city leaders for something some might find audacious—to roll the French Broad Association, South Slope and River Arts District back into the branding of the Southside.

Shuvonda Harper and Sekou Coleman of the Southside United Neighborhood Association detail the damage done by what Harper calls “urban removal.” We’ll learn some of Southside’s history and their efforts to have a voice in shaping the city’s master plan.