The neighborhoods of Near North community and challenges
Gold Coast
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The Esquire theater opened in 1938, on 58 E Oak St, Chicago, IL 60611. It was seen as the “poshest movie house in the city” that began the “golden era of Chicago architecture”(The Esquire Theater). Back then, the Gold Coast was still the affluent community it is today, but it had a certain elegance and “high style design” that is not seen today. The art in this community was seen through the architecture, the Esquire theater even won “the 1938 Building of the Year by Architectural Forum magazine”(The Esquire Theater) . Now in modern day, the theater has been consumed by retail stores and was now bought out by Zara, integrating it with the rest of the neighborhood. Although the affluence still remains the same, the history and art behind the theater is being taken away by the communities need to make everything about modern day wealth.
The population is growing and so is inadequate social services and high rates of homelessness among young people. In the Gold Coast area, "homelessness is also a significant issue for young people. A large proportion of people who present to homelessness services are under the age of 25 years" (Christiansen). Homeless Connect , an annual event organized by the Gold Coast Homelessness Network and supported by City of Gold Coast, is a one-stop shop providing free goods and services to the city's homeless. Residents within the community donate goods to ensure the event assists as many homeless people as possible. Items needed include toiletries, disposable nappies, clothing, canned goods, blankets, sleeping bags and bottled water. http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/community/community-concerns-249.html Among the other neighborhoods in Near North, rodents seem to like the Gold Coast area due to all the restaurants and businesses. Since the “1980’s, rats grew immune to the poison” (Brotman) that was dispersed among the city, so the problem was still thriving. Now the city has switched poisons and the “infestation rate has dropped 20 percent” but is still very evident (Brotman). To help the rat problem, The City of Chicago's Bureau of Rodent Control office set up a task force to bait Gold Coast alleys and make sure residents keep them clean. http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/streets/provdrs/rodent.html From 1979 to 2001, Near North Career Metropolitan High School served as the local 4-year vocational magnet, CPS high school in Old Town. Originally, Edwin G. Cooley Vocational High School was built, but due to low academic performance and the building conditions, it was rebuilt as Near North Career Metropolitan High School-open to many Cabrini-Green residents. Around 2000, due to low enrollment, the school closed down, stranding around 300 students with nowhere to go; the only surrounding schools were like Latin School of Chicago, Lincoln park High School, and now Walter Payton. The local community did not have a local school to go to , although now it is Lincoln Park High School. Now, the school site is being used by Jones College Prep for the field and gym, and by Chicago Police and Fire Department as a training site. After riots following Martin Luther King’s assassination, Old Town experienced a racial division during the 1970s and 1980s that segregated the area between Old Town north and south of North Ave. Now since the Cabrini green complexes are not offering public housing, gentrification of the area south of North Ave has developed. |
River North
Goose Island |
Within Chicago, affordable housing has become a problem due to developer financial issues. “When residential developers build on city-owned land they are required to provide 10 percent of the building's units at affordable prices or they can pay the affordable housing opportunity fund” (Shepard). From 2005-2015, developers have spent $77 million dollars to not include affordable housing in their buildings, including River North.
Similarly, as “New luxury high rises are being built near the old Cabrini-Green site at the corner of Chestnut and Orleans. Instead of including affordable housing in the tower, the developer gave $3.1 million to the city's affordable housing opportunity fund”(Shepherd) . In the new development plans, the units will be “30 percent public housing, 20 percent affordable and 50 percent market rate” (Biasco). Barely leaving room for the residents of Cabrini-Green to come back to their community since housing would not be affordable for many of them. The Chicago River is home to many paddlers, boaters, tourists, and just people who want to enjoy the city. What people do not realize, is the “1.2 billion gallons of partially treated human and industrial waste” (Hawthorne)is dumped into the river every day. Chicago has now become the only major U.S. city that skips an important germ-killing step during sewage treatment. “U.S. EPA calls for more aggressive action to kill disease-causing bacteria from the river and keep raw sewage out of the channels”(Hawthorne). Officials at the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District don't want the clean up because it costs up to “$72 million in new germ-killing equipment at two sewage treatment plants and $355 million to complete the Deep Tunnel project” (Hawthorne). In attempts to help that pollution and waste that have invaded the Chicago River, passage of the Clean Water Actgreatly helped. This federal legislation set toxicity standards for all the nation’s navigable water and regulated the discharge of pollutants. http://www.sustainable-chicago.com/2012/09/17/reversing-course-fixing-the-chicago-river/ |
Magnificent Mile/Streeterville
Due to the Children's Memorial Hospital reconstruction plan, the hospital will be going under major construction. Chicago already has a large problem with rats and the developers that are working on this site say that the neighborhood should be expecting more rats to come out. McCaffery, a developer, ensured that his development team has an abatement plan in place that includes rat traps. “In all, the demolition process, including environmental abatement, is expected to last through November but construction will begin in December and last about 2½ years” (Bloom).
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Works Cited
Biasco, Paul. "Cabrini-Green Redevelopment Plan Includes Over 2,300 Homes." DNAinfo Chicago. DNAinfo, 23 Apr. 2015. Web. 20 May 2016.
Bloom, Mina. "'Awful' Rat Problem Expected in Lincoln Park Thanks to Hospital Teardown." DNAinfo Chicago. DNAinfo, 3 Mar. 2016. Web. 20 May 2016.
Bloom, Mina. "Children's Hospital Buildings To Face Wrecking Ball in April." DNAinfo Chicago. DNAinfo, 3 Mar. 2016. Web. 20 May 2016.
Brotman, Barbra. "Rats Seem To Like That Gold Coast Cuisine." Tribunedigital-chicagotribune. N.p., 07 July 1987. Web. 20 May 2016.
Bush, Bill. "Closure of North Side Charter School Strands about 300 Students." The Columbus Dispatch. GateHouse Media, Inc, 26 Aug. 2015. Web. 20 May 2016.
"Chicago Textures." : The Esquire Theatre. N.p., 2 Feb. 2010. Web. 20 May 2016.
Christiansen, Melanie. "Gold Coast's Rising Tide of Social Issues Hit the Young." Online posting. The Courier Mail. N.p., 3 Mar. 2010. Web. 20 May 2016.
"Community Concerns." City of Gold Coast |. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 May 2016.
Hawthorne, Michael. "Water Pollution: Chicago River Called One of Nation's Most Threatened Waterways." Tribunedigital-chicagotribune. Chicago Tribune, 17 May 2011. Web. 20 May 2016.
Marotti, Ally. "Esquire Theater Sold for $176 Million." Crain's Chicago Business. Crain Communication, Inc., 27 Mar. 2015. Web. 20 May 2016.
"Near North Career Metropolitan High School | Mapio.net." Near North Career Metropolitan High School | Mapio.net. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 May 2016.
Sheperd, Kate. "City Pushes Developers To Build Affordable Units In Pricey Neighborhoods." Chicagoist. Gothamist LLC, 17 Oct. 2015. Web. 20 May 2016.
Biasco, Paul. "Cabrini-Green Redevelopment Plan Includes Over 2,300 Homes." DNAinfo Chicago. DNAinfo, 23 Apr. 2015. Web. 20 May 2016.
Bloom, Mina. "'Awful' Rat Problem Expected in Lincoln Park Thanks to Hospital Teardown." DNAinfo Chicago. DNAinfo, 3 Mar. 2016. Web. 20 May 2016.
Bloom, Mina. "Children's Hospital Buildings To Face Wrecking Ball in April." DNAinfo Chicago. DNAinfo, 3 Mar. 2016. Web. 20 May 2016.
Brotman, Barbra. "Rats Seem To Like That Gold Coast Cuisine." Tribunedigital-chicagotribune. N.p., 07 July 1987. Web. 20 May 2016.
Bush, Bill. "Closure of North Side Charter School Strands about 300 Students." The Columbus Dispatch. GateHouse Media, Inc, 26 Aug. 2015. Web. 20 May 2016.
"Chicago Textures." : The Esquire Theatre. N.p., 2 Feb. 2010. Web. 20 May 2016.
Christiansen, Melanie. "Gold Coast's Rising Tide of Social Issues Hit the Young." Online posting. The Courier Mail. N.p., 3 Mar. 2010. Web. 20 May 2016.
"Community Concerns." City of Gold Coast |. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 May 2016.
Hawthorne, Michael. "Water Pollution: Chicago River Called One of Nation's Most Threatened Waterways." Tribunedigital-chicagotribune. Chicago Tribune, 17 May 2011. Web. 20 May 2016.
Marotti, Ally. "Esquire Theater Sold for $176 Million." Crain's Chicago Business. Crain Communication, Inc., 27 Mar. 2015. Web. 20 May 2016.
"Near North Career Metropolitan High School | Mapio.net." Near North Career Metropolitan High School | Mapio.net. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 May 2016.
Sheperd, Kate. "City Pushes Developers To Build Affordable Units In Pricey Neighborhoods." Chicagoist. Gothamist LLC, 17 Oct. 2015. Web. 20 May 2016.