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The Eyes, Hands, & Heart of Pilsen: Gentrification in the 25th Ward

Gabby Aviles and Kelly Suh

What is Gentrification?

Action Project

NOTE: Because this presentation only captures a brief overview of such a complex subject, not all information will be covered.

Definitions

Gentrification

noun

- the process whereby the culture, character, and identity of a neighborhood changes

- a shift in demographics

- a product of an influx of more affluent residents and businesses

Displacement

noun

- the ways in which the individuals and communities within a changing neighborhood are affected

Gentrification in Pilsen: History

& Context

Pilsen's Demographic Shift

An enclave for Latino/a/x heritage, memories, and people, the neighborhood of Pilsen has lived a storied life. Rich cultures are embodied in the heartbeat of this Chicago community.

Across its western blocks, shops reflect the 25th Ward's longlived character; across its eastern blocks, the neighborhood's collective culture is lost in an influx of tony restaurants and million-dollar homes.

Between 2000 and 2013, the role of the 25th Ward as a port of entry for Mexican immigrants saw a 34 percent decrease. In 2017, the US Census and the American Communty Survey estimated that the Latino population was 52 percent, and approximated that the white population was 47 percent. Although the community is still predominantly composed of Latino people, reports have reflected an increasing number of white residents with every year.

The renovated Pilsen area has transformed into a more affluent and financially prosperous neighborhood. Nonetheless, lower-income residents are not always able to compete with the higher-income individuals who bleed into the neighborhood. Oftentimes, these residents are displaced and forced to abandon their homes. In light of gentrification, members of the community have remained persistent in arriving at a balance between growth and the preservation of culture.

Existing Policies

Policies in Place

Within the city, throughout the nation, and across the globe, gentrification persists as a prevalent issue. The term 'gentrification' was first coined in the 1960s. Since then, it has navigated the ways in which we approach our city. Individuals and communities have wielded various strategies in response to the gentrification process. However, currently enacted policies have continued to impede such strategies and efforts.

HOPE VI: Resulting in gentrification in low income neighborhoods, this policy encourages the replacement of aging, dense housing with new, less dense, and more income diverse housing.

TAX INCENTIVES: Some policies offer tax breaks for first-time home-buyers, which makes migration and purchasing homes more likely.

MORTGAGE PROGRAMS: These programs encourage lending financial assistance in under-served neighborhoods, which leads many individuals to purchase homes in gentrifying areas.

Roots and Causes

Lack of Resources

1.

Pilsen has been underfunded by the city for a long time. Most recently, budget cuts were made to Pilsen elementary schools. This underfunding creates less opportunities, less jobs, and less ways for citizens of Pilsen to strive in the way wealthy Chicago neighborhoods can.

Distinct Wealth Gap

2.

In the cycle of gentrification, a distinct wealth gap is both a cause and effect of the process. As more affluent individuals, families, and businesses bleed into these neighborhoods, gentrification increases housing costs. This makes it difficult for the working class to earn money, renders sustainable, better-paying jobs more scarce, and ultimately displaces those who are unable to support themselves.

Current Policies

3.

As will be later discussed in more detail, the government has put tax and mortgage incentives that encourage migration and gentrification and ultimately aim to make moving into and renovating an under-served neighborhood very appealing.

Systemic Racism

4.

Gentrification has only made systemic racism more visible. While so deeply embedded into our laws, regulations, and legislation, systemic racism has framed the society we live in. Discrimination, inequity, and injustice manifest in education, employment, healthcare, criminal justice, housing, wealth gaps, and more. Without the proper resources, residents are not able to support themselves.

Effects

Effects of Gentrification

It is argued that gentrification has allowed for an improved, more modernized community to flourish; however, this is simply not the case. Gentrification renders many negative effects upon a person's health, livelihood, and economic state.

Increase in property value and community restructure

1.

As more wealthy people move into gentrifying neighborhoods, they pay more money, which increases the value of housing in that neighborhood. This causes the previous residents, many of low income backgrounds, to struggle finding the means to pay for their residence.

Evictions

2.

Struggling to find the money to support their families while paying for their house, many people are evicted as a result.

Displacement

3.

The rise in property value affects all community members. This leads to forced, mass displacement and migration across the country.

Loss of culture

4.

Many areas, like Pilsen, that are at risk of being gentrified are cultural enclaves. Pilsen specifically is predominately Latino. The displacement of residents may lead to assimilation in the gentrifying area, and can erode the culture and sense of community that they hoped to preserve.

Houselessness

5.

When low-income residents are unable to support themselves, they may be forced to leave their homes. A simultaneous increase in housing costs and decrease in availability results in the reduction of affordable housing. With the lack of access to resources, services, and viable opportunities, these individuals and families can be forced into houselessness.

25th Ward

People in Power

Pilsen Aldermanic Office Address:

2100 W Cermak Rd,

Chicago, IL

60608

Involved Representatives

Positions, Policy, & Power

Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez

By reaching out to representatives and policy-makers, we can encourage change.

The People

Mayor Lori Lightfoot

The residents of the 25th Ward as well as those in other communities can involve themselves in resolving this issue.

Solution

Solution

and

Impact

Our solution lies within the hands of lawmakers and policy-making. As disussed earlier, tax incentives and other gentrification endorsing policies are a major cause of the problem. Overturning these policies can be a very beneficial step towards combatting gentrification. Furthermore, more policies that allieviate the severity and possibility of gentrification, such as placing a price on the demolition of housing within Pilsen, would be extremely helpful. Of course, this requires the help of law makers and local government. What YOU can do is educate yourself and others, and contact the alderman of Pilsen or other areas where you see gentrification taking place.

Impact

This solution will impact all of Pilsen as the community has experienced an ongoing struggle with gentrification. This solution will allow them to maintain their sense of community, their culture, and their homes without the fear of financial ruin or eviction. We hope that it will also allow for other neighborhoods to see the benefits, and lead to the creation of comprehensive, holistic worldwide policies that will help to heal the community and put an end to gentrification.

Thank You

Bibliography, Credits, & Final Notes

Bibliography

This link will take you to a document compiled with each source that was used to create this presentation:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JSJc2jdcs5vvQqwclkGHPQmaO28KYyzlzXnJ1mrNcxM/edit?usp=sharing

Just as this presentation could not be made alone, it is only together that we can inspire true change. We must each realize what power we possess so that we may then pursue and initate change. Channeling our realities, visions, and passions into facilitating progress, we must seek perspective and share our own. Alongside one another, it is possible to together do what we otherwise could not have done alone.

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