i'm trying to come up with a proposal for the 'Cultural Heritage Scholarship.' i will probably end up using the residential segregation research i've been doing with dr. paulsen, because i'm more familiar with it and i think it will fit with what the scholarship committee is looking for. based on dr. paulsen's advice, i'm going to take more of a social-historical perspective and look at symbolic racism using marketing materials from new community housing developments.

however, after talking to one of the professors at gsu, i think i've found an excellent research opportunity given my interests in cities and development. right here in savannah. when i first came to town looking for a place to live, tadd pointed out several of the scad buildings around downtown that had been vacant, but the college bought them and now uses the space. for example, the scad library is an old department store. on their website, they say, 'The college is a leader in restoring architectural treasures in Savannah’s renowned National Historic Landmark District.'

it's interesting that a private arts college has such a role in the gentrification of downtown. i'd like to research that further, and also look into the rental market and the increasing housing costs and how that is affecting the development of savannah. maybe do some comparisons to other cities similar in size and see what they are doing to market and restore themselves.

after i leave here i'm heading to the chamber of commerce to get some info. i wish i had a computer at home. it's severly affecting my ability to work, and this proposal is due before august 1st. but anyway, i figure this initial look into savannah will at least give me an excuse to get over my apprehension about going around the city by myself.