Earlier this year, we set out to take a deep look at why Louisville's West End is changing -- and how. In this last episode of Here Today, we address the uncertainty that lies ahead, and how that could affect the people who live west of Ninth Street.
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Just as we started working on Here Today, our colleagues on In Conversation, WFPL's weekly talk show, did an episode about the investments coming to west Louisville. After the show aired, the station got this email from a listener: Please stop calling the West End "West Louisville!" There is another town, way down river from here, called West Louisville. Here in the Metro, we have the South End and the East End and the West End.  Calling the latter by another town's name further acts to make it "other" and not belonging to all of us in the South End, where I grew up, and the East End, where I now reside. After some lively conversation, we decided that on Here Today, we would use both terms, "west Louisville" and "the West End," interchangeably, but the conversation didn't end there. We started asking folks we interviewed for the show which term they use, and why. On this episode, you'll hear some of those answers. And we'll speak to a linguist who's from Louisville, about how the language we use shapes the way we think and feel. We couldn't do this work without your support. Click here to contribute: wfpl.org/supportheretoday

After learning about all the ways revitalization could go wrong, we wanted to learn about the city's plan for avoiding the pitfalls that have happened elsewhere.

Here's a section of Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer's third inaugural speech, given in January of this year:

"[L]ook at what’s happening in west Louisville. Nearly a billion dollars of investment funding catalytic projects:
The expansion of Waterfront Park, the Louisville Urban League Sports and Learning Complex at 30th and Ali, the YMCA and the new Passport Headquarters at 18th and Broadway, and the Beecher Terrace and Russell revitalization.

For that work, we’re collaborating with the people of Russell, along with businesses, faith groups and other community partners to make sure we restore the great legacy of this neighborhood – once celebrated as the Harlem of the South – without displacing anyone who wants to remain there."

That last bit of emphasis is ours. This week on the show, we sit down with the mayor to ask what plans are in place to prevent displacement in the West End, and we hear from some experts about whether the city is on the right track.

Here Today is a listener-supported project. YOU make it possible for us to hold the people in power accountable for the promises they make. Click here to chip in: wfpl.org/supportheretoday +

Homeownership has been touted as “the American dream” for decades -- and some advocates say it’s also the way to prevent gentrification in west Louisville.

On this episode of Here Today, we take a look at homeownership in the West End, and whether owning your own home really leads to inter-generational wealth.

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When you rent a place to live, you’re subject to the whims of your landlord. Whether you’ve lived in your place for a year or 10 years, if your landlord decides to sell, you could be forced out. 

The changes happening in west Louisville are affecting the people who live there, and most of them are renters. As property values rise in the West End and property owners consider selling, what does that mean for the renters there?

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The site where Beecher Terrace was built has a story that's much older than the housing complex itself. Louisville's first black doctor had a home there with his family. The city's first cemetery occupied what's now Baxter Square Park.

Before we move on from Beecher Terrace, we spend some time this week learning more of that story.

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Construction of the new Beecher Terrace continues, and fewer than a hundred families are living in what’s left of the old complex. Several hundred others are settling into their new homes throughout the city.

While some displaced residents await the new and improved Beecher, others are content to leave it behind and start anew.

Those who do come back will find themselves living with lots of new neighbors -- not all of whom are low income folks, like before. Will it still feel like home?

Last week we talked about the “big four” West End investments. Today on Here Today, we focus in on the biggest: the over $200 million dollar redevelopment of Beecher Terrace.

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Today's additional music:

• "Catching Feelings," Audiobinger
• "Manele," Blue Dot Sessions
• "Never Can Stop It," Lobo Loco

When someone makes a promise to you and then doesn’t follow through, would you believe them the next time? And if you trust them a second time and they don’t come through, what about a third time?

In recent years, plans for new developments in the West End -- like the FoodPort and a Super Walmart -- have come and gone. Now, west Louisville residents are again being asked to put their faith in planned developments aimed at revitalizing the neighborhoods, particularly Russell.

Will things be different this time? For some projects, the answer seems to be yes -- things are going along as planned. For others, the future seems less certain. _

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What comes to mind when you hear “west Louisville?”

Do you picture the families who live there? People coming together for barbecues and neighborhood block parties. Kids playing in the park. Neighborhood churches. Or when you think of the West End, are you reminded of the last thing you heard about it on the news? A recent shooting. People living in poverty. Neighborhoods filled with abandoned houses.

The story of west Louisville is not a simple one. It’s not one that can be easily encapsulated in a sound bite. And it's a story that could be drastically changing soon.

But to understand the future, we have to look to the past. On episode one of Here Today, we explore the people and policies that created today's West End.

Here Today is produced and reported by Amina Elahi, Laura Ellis, Jonese Franklin, and Kyeland Jackson. Website and data reporting are by Alexandra Kanik.

You can support Here Today by making a donation here. 

This is a pivotal moment for west Louisville. There's a track & field complex planned, a new YMCA in the works, and the renovation of Beecher Terrace.

But as property values rise, so do property taxes, and that can be a hardship for the people already living there.

Is this revitalization? Or gentrification?

If you're seeing this trailer because you were subscribed to our news podcast, Recut, you know these are issues we've been keeping an eye on all along. Now we're going to take a closer look.

Here Today will track the changes in Louisville's West End, and tell the stories of the people who call it home. Coming this summer, from Louisville Public Media.

Over the past six months or so on Recut, we've talked about a little bit of everything, from bedbugs to Bird scooters. The newsroom was our oyster, and we were always on the lookout for those times it seemed like there might be more to the story than what made it into the newscast.

We started seeing the same theme pop up again and again: Where you live in Louisville can dramatically affect what your life is like. Depending on which side of 9th Street you call home, you might be more or less likely to own a car, have internet access, or live next to an abandoned house. You might even be in more or less danger in the event of catastrophic flooding.

In September, we did an episode that spelled it all out: The Thin Line Between Revitalization and Gentrification.

West Louisville, long facing all the challenges we'd been learning about, was suddenly flush with investment dollars and new projects. A track & field complex. A YMCA. A headquarters for Passport Health. A brand new version of Beecher Terrace.

Property values would go up, and prosperity would come to the neighborhood. But with higher property values comes higher property taxes. House flippers were hanging signs and knocking on doors, trying to scoop up property before the promised boom. We started to wonder what these changes would mean for the folks who already call West Louisville home.

So we've decided to make that our new focus. We want to follow the changes in West Louisville in real time--not look back in five years and wonder what happened to the neighborhoods that used to be there.

Starting this Spring, we'll bring you a brand new weekly podcast that will tell the story as it unfolds. Lots of people with money and power are making big promises in West Louisville. On this week's episode of Recut, we talk a little about what we hope to accomplish, and share some of the work we've done so far.