Racial Map of Chicago

[NearWestSider]

Originally Posted by BRU67

No, not yanking your chain. Though the Housing Center was done away with by the new administration that was elected in '09, it was operating for awhile. Its primary mission was to educate landlords on how to improve the marketability and security of their buildings, as well as to market the city's rental housing stock to higher income tenants to raise overall rental rates. The mission, despite the best efforts of fear mongers to lead people to believe otherwise, was not to relocate public housing residents to the surburbs.

What does marketing Berwyn to yuppies have to do with integrating Berwyn?

I don't know if you are naive or being disingenuous, but lets take one last look at the map, shall we?

See the bright yellow patches with interspersed red on the lower west side right smack next to the bright blue? See how easily you can identify the BNSF tracks, Cicero Avenue, and Roosevelt Road? See how the yellow transitions to red as you move southwest from Cicero Avenue along the BNSF? See the tiny patch of blue to the west? That's east La Grange. See any other blue in that direction, all the way to western Du Page county? Didn't think so.

I don't know how anyone could look at that map and not come to the conclusion that the wall of yellow is keeping the blue dots out of your neck of the woods. Are you now going to tell me this is just some cosmic coincidence, a monumental fluke of nature?

I admit it is not a pretty picture, and perhaps one that you would prefer the world did not see. But it is nonetheless fact.

And just so you know, it IS possible to like Berwyn, Cicero, AND Little Village despite this obvious hangup. I know it because I happen to be a fan of all three.

I'm just glad I don't live in Berwyn, because I'd probably be 20 pounds heavier if Vasecky's was near me. Their kolacky are addictive.

[Humboldt1]

Thank God for the wall of yellow. In Oak Park we don't have that luxury, hence the Housing Authority to keep the yuppies safe