Please see this pic and tell me where is safe and/or dangerous (Chicago: 2014, renters)

[uchicago]

This is a pic from Graduate Student Housing Locations

I will start my graduate study at u of chicago this fall.

I have to get a housing but I am concerned about safety both during daytime and at night.

Where in the pic would be the most safe, most dangerous place?

[marothisu]

The only ones that are "eh" are 1-4 and 7 which is basically Woodlawn but that specific area is not that bad anyway. Other than that, you shouldn't worry at all. Hyde Park is one of the safest areas in the city of Chicago. It's the areas around it that are sometimes what you have to worry about like parts of Woodlawn, Washington Park, and Kenwood, though the part of Kenwood on the east part is full of mansions (this is where Obama lives). But yeah, you shouldn't worry about almost any of these.

[chet everett]

Um not to be to other than honest the FACT that all the number dots represent places that the UofC has approved is going to mean that the Campus Police force (which is full-fledged law enforcement unit and not just a some rented mall patrol...) will be patrolling those buildings, there are likely call boxes / alarms / video surveillance too.

While there is always some chance of some one looking to steal a bicycle or some other"crime of opportunity" the odds of any serious violence are quite remote; it would be difficult to call any of those sites "dangerous".

I won't even really say any of the sites are clearly "most safe" as the simple fact is that unless you like to engage in particular careless actions like wandering by yourself with high end headphones / personal electronics along a street that exposes you to kids headed through the area the odds of encountering "crime" is largely a factor of your own actions since most of Hyde Park is so well patrolled...

[marothisu]

Hyde Park is patrolled because of the U of Chicago's influence. It doesn't change the fact that Hyde Park is one of the safest areas in the entire city.

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by marothisu

Hyde Park is patrolled because of the U of Chicago's influence. It doesn't change the fact that Hyde Park is one of the safest areas in the entire city.

This is not really a chicken and egg situation at all, this is pretty clearly a "cause and effect" thing, with "good deterrent forces" being the cause and "low crime" being the effect...

There are lots of crummy areas west of the the UofC hospitals and there are plenty of ares to the north and south of Hyde Park that are quite crime ridden. People from those areas can and do travel through the areas that are patrolled. If the University could save the money it spends of its police force I am sure it would.

The places that OP has on their map are all within the area that is patrolled not just by Chicago PD but by the additional police force of the University.

There is every reason to believe the crime is effectively warded off by this level of police protection.

That said one of the things I admire about the UofC is that they DO NOT sugar coat stuff that does happen. One can visit the public safety pages of the and see the alerts. Bad things happen:
Security Alert: March 22, 2014 | The University of Chicago

Community Safety | The University of Chicago

Department of Safety and Security | The University of Chicago

[uchicago]

Originally Posted by chet everett

unless you like to engage in particular careless actions like wandering by yourself with high end headphones / personal electronics along a street that exposes you to kids headed through the area

"wandering by yourself with high end headphones / personal electronics along a street"

Is this considered 'dangerous' in US?

[marothisu]

I can't believe you're actually debating whether Hyde Park is safe or not. You have to be kidding me right now.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by uchicago

"wandering by yourself with high end headphones / personal electronics along a street"

Is this considered 'dangerous' in US?

No. It's stated because people who are playing with their iPhones are often not aware of what's going on around them and are easy targets for theft. This goes for any big city pretty much. The headphones thing is severely overstated by people on here. I walk around many areas with my headphones in and have never run into any trouble. The most important thing is looking aware and you can say this about a number of cities in the world. When you look like you're pre occupied with playing Angry Birds on your iPhone, you're an easy target for theft and whatever - that's all.

You have nothing to worry about. Just don't wander into Washington Park by yourself at night but Hyde Park is safe and like anywhere in any big city, just be aware of what's around you. Usually it's not a problem though unless you're just unlucky.

[Drover]

There's really no "bad" part on that map, and most of it is actually quite pleasant. Marothisu is on point about the places on 61st street. U of C police patrol down to 63rd, and the sliver of Woodlawn between the plaisance and 63rd has a good number of students living in it. But the quality of the neighborhood falls of quite quickly south of 63rd, so if you took one of the places on 61st you'd be close to some rougher elements.

And that's something to take note of about Hyde Park; many of the areas around it are either not great or downright rough and you may want to exercise the requisite caution when wandering around. On the other side of Washington Park is a neighborhood that is also called Washington Park, and it's some of the roughest stuff the city has to offer. You don't ever really want or need to be there; and be thankful there's a huge park as a buffer between campus and that area. As mentioned, south of campus is OK for a few blocks but go further south than that and all bets are off. To the north is Kenwood, which is mostly fine and often gets lumped in with Hyde Park as a single neighborhood/area, and it's only slightly iffy on its northern border. North and east of Kenwood is Bronzeville, a sort of weird no-man's land of shiny new developments and clapped-out 'hood, often side-by-side on the same block.

[chet everett]

Not debating anything other than the implication that the UofC police force is some kind of unnecessary excess.

There is often an unfortunate attitude fostered by some that suggests crime is no more likely to happen inside Chicago than it is in the broader country / region / state / nation. That is simply untrue.

I linked to a recent crime report that the UofC honestly posts on its security page:

At approximately 9:45 p.m., Saturday, March 22 – A University staff member and a friend walking northbound on the sidewalk on S. Kimbark Avenue between 55th Street and 56th Street were approached from behind by a group of four to seven unknown males who pushed and struck the victims and took their cell phones. The suspects fled eastbound on 56th Street. One victim was transported to the ER and treated for minor injuries.

55th and Kimbark is not tucked away. There is a bus stop that has LOTS of travelers. It is about four blocks from a VERY well used recreational establishment -- Welcome to Seven Ten Lanes | Bad things happen in Hyde Park with more frequency than some people like to admit... The UofC should be commended for being honest and transparent in posting a summary of all police activity in a timely manner -- https://incidentreports.uchicago.edu/ They have a real police force that is involved in many routine incidents but it would be dishonest to suggest there is never any violent crime.

The UofC spends an ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF MONEY on improving the safety of the whole neighborhood -- Community Safety FAQ | The University of Chicago These expenditures are NOT made frivolously and any suggestion that such things are unneeded should be treated with derision.

The fact is that if one were out in downtown Oak Park or Berwyn or Summit (all inside Cook Co) this sort of crime would be orders of magnitude more rare.

I am not posting this here to scare any one nor to disparage Hyde Park or UofC but because the OP did ask what is the "most safe / dangerous" of the spots recommended for graduate student housing. I reject the framing of that question. The UofC is NOT going to allow any residential facility to be classified as "most dangerous" and the relative safety of ANY of the spots on the previously referenced list is quite similar in safety.

If the OP is not accustomed to living / working in an area where there is a great range of haves / have nots they WILL have to adjust their behavior --

Be alert and aware of your surroundings at all times. Don’t resist an armed robbery unless absolutely necessary. Avoid using cell phones or other electronics while on the street. When walking, try to walk with a group or have a friend walk with you. There is safety in numbers. Familiarize yourself with the location of University emergency phones. If you see suspicious activity, please report it immediately to the police by activating an emergency phone or by calling UCPD when you get to a safe location.

Security Alert: March 22, 2014 | The University of Chicago


Read that statement. It is drilled into the staff and students. The head of public safety at the campus has the data to know that it is very rare for someone to be more than whacked on the side of the head UNLESS THEY ACTIVELY resist, then the goofy thugs with guns or knifes or a piece of pipe may "snap" and literally kill. Get a cell phone replacement policy from your provider. Don't watch "hero" movies. Don't try to "make a stand". Get renters insurance. Keep $20 or so in your wallet to appease a kid with a desire to pull a stick up. If you do not want to deal with the reality that bad people with no respect for the safety or property of others are present to a greater degree near the UofC campus than in other parts of the county/region/state/nation you probably also want to believe that the current elected officials are not responsible for this situation.