1. Urban Patterns

2. Urban Patterns Inner City Social Issues

3. Inner Cities Face Distinctive Challenges
Most significant = deteriorating housing
Filtering
subdividing larger homes into small apts.
successive waves of immigrants, minority groups, powerless
absentee landlords neglect buildings and they fall into disrepair
abandoned when real estate taxes/upkeep > rents received
Redlining (review definition)
banks refuse to loan money in certain areas
now illegal but difficult to enforce (they can find “other” reasons)
poorer/ “riskier” areas unable to gets loans to maintain buildings
White flight
middle class takes their $ to the suburbs
Often the result of blockbusting (review definition)
Unscrupulous real estate practice intended to scare white homeowners about “pending” racial/ethnic change
Impact of the 2008 recession (housing market collapse)
Foreclosure (bank seizes home for non payment of mortgage)
“under water” (mortgage higher than home value → walk away)
Eroding tax base
cities have to either reduce services or raise taxes

6. 2000 – 2010 Chicago lost 200,000 African Americans
Mostly aged 1 – 10 and 31 – 40. Who are they?
Families (Middle Class?) with children

7. Inner City Challenges Social issues The underclass
people caught in an unending cycle of social and economic issues
homelessness
culture (or cycle) of poverty

9. Inner City Challenges Social issues The underclass
people caught in an unending cycle of social and economic issues
homelessness
culture (or cycle) of poverty
poverty leads to behavior which reinforces or continues poverty
out-of-wedlock children/absentee fathers → govt. dependence
ghettoized “often isolated from positive influences”
gangs, violence, crime, drugs
frequent incarceration, recidivism
political debate on how to solve social problems
Economic development? Education?
Better moral instruction (religion/adult role models)???

10. Facing Challenges? Economic Education
TIF districts (part of real estate taxes are taken from budget to help with economic development)
Diverts money from other public services
Garbage collection, libraries, schools, police
TIFS are most effective in already wealthy areas (the Loop).
Viewed as a give away to already successful businesses.
Controlled by aldermen, the mayor (ahem, cough, cough!)
Education
Charter schools (public schools run by private organizations)
Allows parents choice on where to send kids to school
Avoid problems of local schools (violence, gangs, etc.)
Break cycle of poverty
Successful?
Test scores mixed yet ….
exclude difficult students, English Language Learners, SPED
Public $$$$ funneled into admin. costs, private accounts
NEOLIBERALISM = privatization!!!!

11. Facing Housing Challenges?
Urban renewal (government intervention)
Govt. removes blight → gives to developers/public agencies

13. Facing Housing Challenges?
Urban renewal (government intervention)
Govt. removes blight → gives to developers/public agencies
Public housing (1950s/1960s = Cabrini-Green, Robt. Taylor Homes)

15. Facing Housing Challenges?
Urban renewal (government intervention)
Govt. removes blight → gives to developers/public agencies
Public housing (1950s/1960s = Cabrini-Green, Robt. Taylor Homes)
results in concentrated poverty, segregation, isolation and ghettoization
Lack of pride in ownership
falls into disrepair (ex. broken elevators), become crime-ridden
mostly demolished since 1990s

18. Where have the residents of demolished public housing gone?

19. Facing Housing Challenges?
Urban renewal (government intervention)
Govt. removes blight → gives to developers/public agencies
Public housing (1950s/1960s = Cabrini-Green, Robt. Taylor Homes)
results in concentrated poverty, segregation/isolation and ghettoization
Lack of pride in ownership
falls into disrepair (ex. broken elevators), become crime-ridden
mostly demolished since 1990s
TODAY: 125,000 people on waiting list for CHA
$500 million surplus on books
See the system in action! What will happen with Lathrop Homes?
Developers are thirsty for this valuable property!
NEOLIBERAL privatization!

20. Lathrop Homes

21. Lathrop Homes

22. Facing Housing Challenges?
Gentrification (market intervention)
Middle-class/wealthy move into inner city, why?
Renovate vintage housing
proximity/access to CBD = work/cultural activities
singles or couples w/out children = don’t care about schools
Results?
Crime ↘, property values ↗, what could possibly be the problem?
Poor are displaced, ethnic patterns altered
Rents and other prices/services become too expensive!
Driven from areas they lived in for years (elderly on fixed inc.)
Pushed from amenities (rapid transit, areas w/access to jobs)
Pushed into ghettoized areas (cycle of poverty, underperforming schools, food deserts, etc.)

26. What other pattern can you identify from these maps
What other pattern can you identify from these maps? Connect this to other units!