assignment 9: emily

The enso apartments at Glenwood Park are brand new and bill themselves as eco-friendly, green living, evidenced by the greens and browns everywhere (see photo of hallway) and in the leasing office there is an abundance of artsy natural wood decor. According to their website enso means "the art of Zen that symbolizes enlightenment, strength and elegance." I don't know if anyone can see the relevance of such Zen-ness to a developer/real estate business so i suspect it just sounded good. Everyone wants to be green these days, and beyond that we are all seeking enlightenment. Heck, if the place we live can be sheik, eco-friendly, and enlightening there's not much more you could ask for.

Cheaper rent perhaps?
Judging by the apartment hunters in the leasing office, the bachelors in the hallway, the population at enso and the crowd they are trying to appeal to are in their late 20s-30s, young but making enough money to afford the rent at this snazzy new place. They are mostly single, mostly men but a few young women. The floorplans reveal 1-2 bedrooms apartments so it would be possible for couples or young families to live there (square footage ranges between a tiny 769 to a decent 1237). Amenities include a gym even though there is one across the street and a central courtyard where, most likely, there will be nice little ice-breaker cocktail parties.

The mid-rise, urban apartment complex sits right on the street (Glenwood Park townhouses in bottom photo also lend to the urban feel of the place) with space for commercial ventures below. This is similar to the development in the whole of the Glenwood Park area which is itself less than 5 years old. A community is being built here out of nothing, fueled by it's location right off the interstate and also along the beltline corridor (Bill Kennedy Way IS a stretch of the corridor). Come to think of it, the eco-theme of the entire area's development might have been inspired by the beltline.

But green can go too far, it's more likely these folks will be driving their Priuses the mile or 2 to downtown than taking the 74 to Five Points. My impression: if you have a brand new condo/apt here you are the new Atlanta urbanite but don't want to be too earthy—bus-riding is an unnecessary inconvenience and biking, which makes you sweaty, is only done for exercise. Green is really just a color that makes us feel good.