Future Of, Chicago's neighborhoods, is it getting worse, North Side, South Side, West Side, and Central (Bridgeport: crime, houses)

[Robert Keag]

How is Chicago going to be in the future, I feel that the whole city has gotten much worse today than what it was 10-30 years ago, what neighborhoods in the city for the future will get better, and what neighborhoods in the city for the future will get worse?, honestly I know there is a North Side, South Side, and West Side, please be accurate because I wan't to know what neighborhoods in the future is getting worse and worse, please, thank you

[NealIRC]

In terms of affordabiliy?

In terms of crime?

In terms of property tax?

[BRU67]

Originally Posted by Robert Keag

How is Chicago going to be in the future, I feel that the whole city has gotten much worse today than what it was 10-30 years ago, what neighborhoods in the city for the future will get better, and what neighborhoods in the city for the future will get worse?, honestly I know there is a North Side, South Side, and West Side, please be accurate because I wan't to know what neighborhoods in the future is getting worse and worse, please, thank you

Need to define "worse." Generally speaking, assuming Chicago continues to sustain economic growth, I see the City center continuing to expand outward in all directions, taking in some currently poor areas as it does so. How far that goes depends on how well the City does economically but I can see it spreading out as far south as Bridgeport and as far west as Kedzie.

The north side will continue on its affluent path, gradually absorbing Rogers Park, Uptown, and Humboldt Park into the "Emerald City" sphere.

The NW and SW side bungalow belt neighborhoods and inner ring suburbs will become more densely populated with working class and poor Hispanic (west) and African-American (south) families. We will come to call this the "middle class," though their income levels will not be near historical middle class norms. I also think immigrants will continue to skip traditional City ports of entry and go straight to the suburbs.

The City's more troubled neighborhoods on the south and west side will continue to struggle and depopulate. Those which are near the borders of gentrification (for example East Garfield Park) could see some urban renewal but, by and large, I think you'll see these community areas become more and more "Detroit-like" with nature gradually taking back vacant lots and even streets.

The future of the suburbs is more murky. I do think the "back to the city" movement is real, and middle class people, as that term is being redefined, won't be able to afford (or want to afford) high taxes and huge houses, or tolerate long commutes. The Caucasian, white collar middle class that fueled these homogeneous communities and schools for the past half century will remain in sizeable numbers, but I think it'll shrink and won't be able to sustain all of the exburbs and even some of the traditionally solid middle class suburbs.

Obviously, a lot could change this prediction. Chicago has to continue to create white collar professional jobs for the city center and north side to continue to grow. And a sudden growth in manufacturing within Chicago could alter my predictions for the south and west sides, or the exburbs if manufacturing starts locating further out. But the above is about what I see happening based on our current trajectory.

[froglipz]

Hardly worth spending your life there!

[wase4711]

I'm getting out ASAP...taxes, cost of living, crime, and horrible political gridlock...who would live here if they didn't have to?

[4122]

I think the better neighborhoods (mainly North Side and loop) will get more expensive while the West and South sides will get more crime. Middle class will shrink, which is the case on much of the country

[Larry Siegel]

In general the central city neighborhoods are getting better and the outlying areas are getting worse.

I agree that the affluent North Side will grow to include Humboldt Park as well as essentially all of West Town; Rogers Park and Uptown are more difficult because of the concentration of social services recipients, who seem to have legal rights the rest of us don't have. They can't be evicted, moved, or anything else. Albany Park could gentrify before Uptown and Rogers Park.

The near South and West sides are also affluent and will grow. The South Loop will eventually grow to meet the north end of Kenwood to form a middle class to affluent black area on the south lakefront. This process is already well along.

Working-class areas on the northwest and southwest sides are vulnerable to further decay, even while depopulating areas in the heart of the ghetto see some rehabilitation and greenfield development.

All in all, this is a much better period for Chicago than 1970-1990 but it is not without problems.

[Movingtookc]

Do you think neighborhoods like Mayfair, Jefferson Park, and North Park with see growing crime and a majority Hispanic population in the future?
I would love to buy in Forest Glen but I'm afraid that Chicago is pushing it's poor people west and that neighborhood might decline in years to come.

[Larry Siegel]

Originally Posted by Movingtookc

Do you think neighborhoods like Mayfair, Jefferson Park, and North Park with see growing crime and a majority Hispanic population in the future?
I would love to buy in Forest Glen but I'm afraid that Chicago is pushing it's poor people west and that neighborhood might decline in years to come.

I think there is some vulnerability in those areas. Parts of Mayfair are already pretty grungy. It all depends on how prosperous the economy is. Forest Glen could go either way.

[sipes23]

Originally Posted by Larry Siegel

I think there is some vulnerability in those areas. Parts of Mayfair are already pretty grungy. It all depends on how prosperous the economy is. Forest Glen could go either way.

I'm not so sure. The area near the Forest Glen Metra station is pretty nice, though far from perfect. There is a lot of buffer around it with the Edens and the rail lines. I would say that's the most vulnerable part of Forest Glen, particularly the bit south of Foster. The rest (Edgebrook in particular) has the buffer of the forest preserves between it and the rest of the city. It really felt suburban when I lived in Jeff Park.

Also, I do not know what the OP is talking about when he says the city is getting worse. I think he is 100% wrong. The city is (mostly) nicer now than it was 30 years ago. There are some serious government problems at the municipal and state level, but the economy continues to be strong. My suspicion, echoed by many posters, is that the gentrification will continue to radiate out from downtown. It will probably follow the L lines and to a lesser degree the Metra lines.