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Reasons Blacks Looked North: “The Promised Land”

A Dream Deferred: Bronzeville at the Crossroads A Town Hall Presentation at the Chicago Bee Branch Public Library. Reasons Blacks Looked North: “The Promised Land”. The living conditions of blacks did not significantly improve after the Civil War. Sharecropping led to debt peonage. Lynching

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Reasons Blacks Looked North: “The Promised Land”

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  1. A Dream Deferred: Bronzeville at the CrossroadsA Town Hall Presentationat the Chicago Bee Branch Public Library

  2. Reasons Blacks Looked North: “The Promised Land” • The living conditions of blacks did not significantly improve after the Civil War. • Sharecropping led to debt peonage. • Lynching • Plessy vs. Ferguson Case - 1896

  3. The Great Migration to Chicago:1890-1960

  4. Chicago Population Growth: 1890-1960

  5. Physical Ghetto: The First Black Ghetto,1890-1930 • When the Black migrants first got to Chicago there wasn’t a huge problem with segregation. As the Black population increased Whites began to close the housing market off to Blacks. These White reactions created a physical ghetto. • Due to the massive amount of people looking for housing the kitchenette was developed by White landlords to take advantage of the Black demand for housing.

  6. The Making of the Second Ghetto:1940-1990 • Low-Rise • Began as a solution to housing shortage • Did not effectively contain desired # of tenants • High-Rise Housing (1940-1970s) • Solution to low-rise • Expensive to maintain • Residents isolated

  7. State St: Aerial View (Robert Cameron's Above Chicago)

  8. The History of Public Housing The Public housing developments that were built in Bronzeville were constructed for four primary reasons. • Black demand for housing. • Racial segregation and redlining. • Blockbusting. • Concentration of public housing in Bronzeville to confine Black population and protect White neighborhoods.

  9. Ida B. Wells “They had inspection, they was very thorough with inspection…They inspected everything…Ida B. Wells was a good place to live.” Doris Simon Ida B. Wells

  10. Dearborn Homes “Dearborn Homes was beautiful when I moved there...We had flowers and shrubberies. It was just beautiful over there. Then we had good janitors. Then we had security who’d walk around.” Irene Hughes Dearborn Homes

  11. Stateway Gardens “When I first moved in there I thought it was beautiful…And after they were built people from all over the world came to see them because they were considered model…they were considering the same kind of stuff in Ireland.” Katie Wyatt Former Resident, Stateway Gardens

  12. Robert Taylor “I felt like I had an advantage…They were run really well…a lot of my cousins wanted to live where we were living. There was a large sense of community. In many cases it was like extended family.” Sequane Lawrence Former Resident, Robert Taylor Homes

  13. Disinvestment and the Concentration of Public Housing in Bronzeville, 1960-1990 • Decline in Median Income • Decline in Housing Values • Owner Occupancy • Poverty

  14. Median Housing Values in Bronzeville: 1960-2000Source: U.S. Census Bureau • Housing values began to rapidly decrease after 1960 • Housing Values bottomed out in 1980 • Reinvestment has raised the median value of homes. • New condo construction.

  15. Median Family Income In Bronzeville 1960-1990Source: U.S. Census Bureau • Rapid decline of median family income 1970-1980. • As reinvestment has taken place, median income has risen. • However this rise is misleading. It is the result of new residents.

  16. Poverty in Bronzeville: 1960-2000Source: U.S. Census Bureau • This graph shows the percentage of residents living below the federal poverty line. • Poverty in Bronzeville has increased significantly since 1960. • By 1990 it stood at nearly 52%. • The percent of people in Illinois living below the poverty line is 13.1%.

  17. Owner Occupancy in Bronzeville: 1960-2000Source: U.S. Census Bureau • The concentration of public housing in Bronzeville decreased owner occupancy. • As owner occupancy declined abandonment and vacant lots increased.

  18. Density of Vacant Lots 2000 Source: Black Metropolis Physical Quality of Life Database

  19. Density of Vacant Lots 2002Source: Black Metropolis Physical Quality of Life Database

  20. Density of Vacant Lots: 2000-2003Source: Black Metropolis Physical Quality of Life Database

  21. What is Reinvestment/Redevelopment? • Bronzeville Redevelopment Plan • To stimulate economic growth • Housing • Commercial • Historic Preservation

  22. How is Redevelopment being Financed? • Tax Increment Financing (TIFS) • What are TIFS? • What are TIFS used for? • What do TIFS mean for you? • HOPE VI • What is HOPE VI? • What do HOPE VI funds provide for cities? • What does HOPE VI mean for you?

  23. Growth from Redevelopment

  24. Growth from Reinvestment

  25. Density of New Construction 2000Source: Black Metropolis Physical Quality of Life Database

  26. Density of New Construction 2002 Source: Black Metropolis Physical Quality of Life Database

  27. Density of New Construction 2003 Source: Black Metropolis Physical Quality of Life Database

  28. The Future of Bronzeville: 2000-2010

  29. Bronzeville Population Projection: 2000-2010source: US Census Bureau

  30. Black Population Projection: 2000-2010source: US Census Bureau

  31. White Population Projection: 2000-2010Source: US Census Bureau

  32. Home Value Projection: 2000-2010Source: US Census Bureau

  33. Median Rent Projection: 2000-2010Source: US census Bureau

  34. Future of Bronzeville: Commercial and Tourist Historical District • Salvation Army-47th & State • Second City-47th & State • Leona’s • New Blues District

  35. New Commercial/Cultural/Historical Development

  36. Bronzeville At the Crossroads • Who’s In? Who’s Out? Why? • Why is the majority of redevelopment in Bronzeville appear to not directly benefit the current population? • Has the Section 8 Voucher Program helped people to relocate? • After redevelopment, what, do you think, will be the percentage of housing development residents that return to Bronzeville?

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