pittmike wrote:
Wasn't this the idea behind tearing down the CHA high rises and spreading people around? I don't think this worked out well in Chicago as far as I know but it seems to make sense on paper?
The show I recently saw about Cabrini-Green on PBS touched on this.
First of all- and this gets into the discussion we were having in the DeVos thread about dangerous neighborhoods- the people who lived in the C-G highrises, even when the buildings were neglected and got all fucked up and crime was rampant, have nothing but fond memories and pride in their neighborhood. Even after most of the buildings were torn down, they would get together on the concrete and barbecue and have little reunions.
Second, they promised the residents the opportunity to move back into the mixed income developments that would be replacing the highrises, but the rules for acceptance were so draconian that it made it very difficult for many people. Then, those people that were accepted and now living next to some #fasttrack couple who paid $350,000 for a two-bedroom condo were relegated to "steerage class" by not having a voice in the association.
Finally, there is a lot of misunderstanding based on cultural differences. In the summer a lot of the black neighbors like to hang out outside and chat, kids are running around, but the white people who bought the condos and grew up in places like Naperville or Glencoe find this very strange and somehow "dangerous".