What do you think would improve Chicago? (Oak Park, Orland Park: environment, property taxes)

[GoCUBS1]

Ok, since I've been complaining about CPS, here's some things I would do to improve the schools (some of these things are already being done):

- increase state funding (yes, I'd raise taxes - but ONLY for education) so there is more equality between school districts (there'd be less reliance on property taxes, TIF, lottery, etc.) Although the issue is school bureaucracy - not per pupil expenditure. Some of the better performing schools in the city (Catholic, Lutheran, etc.) have the lowest per pupil spending.

- early intervention programs including Head Start and Universal Preschool programs (gotta agree w/the Governor on this). Having kids start the day with a breakfast makes a huge difference in learning readiness.

- a core, state curriculum that is consistent between schools. Over 50% of CPS students switch schools w/in 3 years. A consistent curriculum would reduce instructional time lost by reviewing material already covered. I'd model the curriulum after the British Natl. Curriculum and/or Hirsch's Core Knowledge curriculum.

- Get rid of U of Chicago "fuzzy math" type programs and replace w/traditional math programs (e.g. Saxon, Singapore Math). The programs we used B4 the U.S. started failing in Math. The same programs that are used in the Asian countries that are top math performers.

- Heavily recruit math and science teachers by giving "life/work" credit to mid-career changers (e.g. former engineers, scientists, etc.) and higher salaries for math/science teachers and other critical need areas. Continue investment in Chicago Teaching Fellows program.

- Link teacher pay to student performance. Like in most industries, measured results should affect incentives.

- Reduce funding of ESL pull-out programs. Research has shown that when you learn a 2nd language, full immersion programs work best.

- Tax incentives for corporate educational partnerships, mentorship programs (Junior Achievement, etc.). I do like the Gates Foundation for this.

- Increase the school year (# of instructional days) by reducing summer vacation (few industrialized nations have a 3 month school break where many kids forget months worth of work).

- Support voucher/tax credit systems that allow for greater school choice and market pressure to improve the education system.

- Get rid of the bureaucratic distraction and the protector of incompetent teachers - Disband the Illinois Teachers Unions. (I know I'm gonna get flack for this one).

[NYrules]

Originally Posted by Avengerfire

Yeah and today it was almost 40 by the lake on the northside at least and it was around 30 in the most of the burbs. I think you exaggerating a bit with a 25 degree temp difference on a regular basis in the spring.

Got news for you hun... It was 40 at lunchtime in Tinley Park for me yesterday, so whats your point? I am not speaking in terms of MOST burbs, just the south side which is about 70% of the time; warmer, less snowy, sunnier, and more humid. Oh and for the exaggerating... Just wait. You will be seeing those temperature differences in about.... OHHHHHHH 3 weeks now. Pay close attention to your weatherbug in weeks to come. Here are the zip codes to compare to. Use 60451 or 60433, then use 60076 or 60611 and watch what happens on days when winds are howling out of the NE. It is a real eye opener. Even right now as I sit here there is a 7 degree difference between Orland Park (60462) and Skokie (60076). Oh and for a little more fun... Use your weatherbug's live cam feature and you will notice something... South side... NO SNOW ON THE GROUND. North side like Morton Grove, Mt. Prospect, Algonquin, and Hoffman Estates, there is still snow on the ground.

[fine_where_I_am]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

Today municipal borders are somewhat meaningless in terms of separating the economic entities known as cities. "Chicago" definitely encompasses the city and suburbs, and we really do need to think of it this way. I'd like to see some form of regional governance enacted like like the have in Portland, OR--particularly in the areas of planning and transportation. Portland's "Urban Growth Boundary" has been a stunning success in making that a liveable metro area.

A lack of Urban Growth Boundary might be why suburbs in the USA get such a bad rap. It's not that suburbs are bad per sae... it's that the type of suburban growth that is so common in the USA is very poorly planned. Why haven't US cities made an Urban Growth Boundary? Imagine if London had no UGB, and the UK spent billions on creating an obscene amount of freeways that reached downtown from 40 miles away in a Chicagoland style sprawl (and literally, not just figuratively, destroying historic neighborhoods in the process). It is possible to have the benefits of suburban life, like low density, low noise, low crime... without having the unplanned, extremely low density suburbs of today.

Though Chicago doesn't seem as bad in this regard as many other large USA metro areas. And many of the suburbs that are close to the city appear to be pretty nice (for example: Oak Park, Oak Lawn, Evanston).

[NYrules]

Originally Posted by fine_where_I_am

A lack of Urban Growth Boundary might be why suburbs in the USA get such a bad rap. It's not that suburbs are bad per sae... it's that the type of suburban growth that is so common in the USA is very poorly planned. Why haven't US cities made an Urban Growth Boundary? Imagine if London had no UGB, and the UK spent billions on creating an obscene amount of freeways that reached downtown from 40 miles away in a Chicagoland style sprawl (and literally, not just figuratively, destroying historic neighborhoods in the process). It is possible to have the benefits of suburban life, like low density, low noise, low crime... without having the unplanned, extremely low density suburbs of today.

Though Chicago doesn't seem as bad in this regard as many other large USA metro areas. And many of the suburbs that are close to the city appear to be pretty nice (for example: Oak Park, Oak Lawn, Evanston).

Burbs are products of a generation. In Chicago you can almost drive through an area and right away be able to tell when it was built because you can tell by the roads and the number of cars they were designed to carry. Oak Park; narrow little outdated roads at a nearly complete standstill now with cars, busses, and trucks, then move out to Oak Lawn and Orland Park where you can see that the car was in mind when designing the town as some roads are wider, but none the less the roads are still jammed, then move further out to areas like Naperville, and Plainfield where any new roads that are built and new areas for that matter are designed around the car plain and simple. Roads are wide to accomodate heavy traffic and traffic does actually move pretty well. Another thing that is rather sad is you can also see how un-social people have become. Homes of yesteryear were designed with the gathering area for outdoor activities to be in the front of the house (front porches) to be able to converse with your neighbor, then something changed in the 1970's and people put up privacy fences creating towns like Orland Park where there are alomst NO front porches and everyone hides in their backyard. I don't get it.

[sukwoo]

Originally Posted by NYrules

Burbs are products of a generation. In Chicago you can almost drive through an area and right away be able to tell when it was built because you can tell by the roads and the number of cars they were designed to carry. Oak Park; narrow little outdated roads at a nearly complete standstill now with cars, busses, and trucks, then move out to Oak Lawn and Orland Park where you can see that the car was in mind when designing the town as some roads are wider, but none the less the roads are still jammed, then move further out to areas like Naperville, and Plainfield where any new roads that are built and new areas for that matter are designed around the car plain and simple. Roads are wide to accomodate heavy traffic and traffic does actually move pretty well. Another thing that is rather sad is you can also see how un-social people have become. Homes of yesteryear were designed with the gathering area for outdoor activities to be in the front of the house (front porches) to be able to converse with your neighbor, then something changed in the 1970's and people put up privacy fences creating towns like Orland Park where there are alomst NO front porches and everyone hides in their backyard. I don't get it.

If you widen the roads, you eventually end up with more traffic. There's no way to build your way out of traffic congestion. It would be helpful if we designed more pedestrian- and transit-friendly suburbs, then we wouldn't have to rely on the auto as much, but its tantamount to be labeled un-American if you even suggest that perhaps people should not drive as much.

Thus, stories like this: Air suffers as vehicles further supplant feet -- chicagotribune.com

By the way, the roads in Oak Park are almost always congestion free. Its the roads on the border of Oak Park (Harlem and North mostly, sometimes Roosevelt) which have a lot of congestion.

[Humboldt1]

The biggest destroyer of community may surprise some. It was the advent of the air conditioner. In years past, residents were forced to gather on their porches on hot summer days to cool off from the sweltering heat. Nowadays, people sit in their air-conditioned houses and watch tv (which also is huge in destroying community). This is why many older homes have front porches while many newer homes do not. Also, communities (particularly suburbs) have become bedroom communities. In Itasca, I lived there 3 years and only got to know the people on either side of me as sometimes the mail was delivered improperly or I would see them coming to and going from my place as I pulled out of the garage. The town center of Itasca is much more established neighborhood but the townhome community I lived in was mostly a bedroom community.

In the poorer neighborhoods, such as Humboldt Park many residents still do not have air conditioning and gather outside in the evenings on hot summer days, which I feel is an attribute to the community and has allowed me to get to know my neighbors. These are families gathering outside of their dwellings, not gangbangers. I like this sense of community that is created and would not trade this for any bedroom community, regardless of affluence.

[sukwoo]

Air conditioning, tv, and the auto. All three take people out of the communal into the private. Of course these inventions also have their positives, but for too long we've neglected the downsides.

[NYrules]

Originally Posted by sukwoo

If you widen the roads, you eventually end up with more traffic. There's no way to build your way out of traffic congestion. It would be helpful if we designed more pedestrian- and transit-friendly suburbs, then we wouldn't have to rely on the auto as much, but its tantamount to be labeled un-American if you even suggest that perhaps people should not drive as much.

Thus, stories like this: Air suffers as vehicles further supplant feet -- chicagotribune.com

By the way, the roads in Oak Park are almost always congestion free. Its the roads on the border of Oak Park (Harlem and North mostly, sometimes Roosevelt) which have a lot of congestion.

Those are the roads I was talking about.

[fine_where_I_am]

There have been studies on increasing vehicle capacity in urban areas, and the conclusions were that increasing vehicle capacity simply increases the amount of vehicles on the road... it does nothing to actually help reduce congestion/traffic. It just goes to an equilibrium... the more traffic a road can handle, the more people will drive on it, and the more will live in an area that demands driving on said road.

I agree completely, that TV, automobiles, and air conditioning really have impacted communities negatively. Humboldt1, I can relate with your preference on the type of communities that you would prefer to live in.

[NYrules]

Originally Posted by fine_where_I_am

There have been studies on increasing vehicle capacity in urban areas, and the conclusions were that increasing vehicle capacity simply increases the amount of vehicles on the road... it does nothing to actually help reduce congestion/traffic. It just goes to an equilibrium... the more traffic a road can handle, the more people will drive on it, and the more will live in an area that demands driving on said road.

I agree completely, that TV, automobiles, and air conditioning really have impacted communities negatively. Humboldt1, I can relate with your preference on the type of communities that you would prefer to live in.

That is the case to an extent about the roads, but when you have an area such as Orland Park who made the mistake of building EVERYTHING in the town around the car, now what? Leave all the roads little dinky 2 laners? Guess what? The town tried that in the 80s and guess what happened. GRID LOCK everywhere formed in town to the point that many people fled the town for greener pastures so to say. People did their shopping elsewhere. People began to say things like, "I will avoid La Grange Road at all costs!". (That's not good, that is where the town's shopping is)

When the town's old mayor Frederick T Owens died off in about 1995, Dan Mc Laughlin stepped in and said, "enough is enough" and has been steadily improving road's capacities by widening many of the intersections in town to get things moving again. Guess what happened? Traffic has once again started moving and guess what else has begun happening. Higher end restaurants began moving in, higher end stores, and in the mid 90's much wealthier people began building off in the town's western sections, not mention all the new shoppers and diners coming in to spend their money! Today the town is progressing nicely, property values are going up still even with the bad market, and the town is actually becoming a mecca for the south side. Taxes in the town are flowing in so nicely at this point through retail that the city is able to give all of it's residents their village paid portion of property taxes back in March, so that is a good thing. Had the town said, "to bad, we're leaving the roads the way they are, get out and walk", guess what would have happened? Residents would have said, "I'll get out alright", (up goes the for sale sign) only to never return. Stores go under as people would have fled for more modern areas to shop, unemployment for the area goes up, tax revenue goes down which leads to higher taxes for residents, which leads to more flight from the town leaving you with Cal City or Harvey eventually.

Don't believe me? Play the game SimCity sometime. It's funny, even though it is just a game, you can learn so much playing that thing. Pretty much everything you can imagine for a city going through it's lifecycle will happen in that game. If you crowd up an area too much, its property values go down. To high of taxes, people go bankrupt and abandon their homes. If you put stuff where it doesn't belong it goes under. Not enough roads, the Sims move away. No jobs, the Sims leave, too much industry creates pollution so the Sims leave, etc. Its funny, but at the same time, very informational. I think every politician should play that game because he/she can learn alot.