Reversing the white flight (Chatham: real estate, violent crime, neighborhoods)

[west lawn kid]

I have been curious what would the city have to do to get the people who flead the city back in the 90's, 80's, early 00's to come back. There is certainly enough room for them here on the depopulated south side. What do yous guys think?

[Bideshi]

Reestablish law and order and civilization.

[Huckleberry3911948]

how strange.
they move out its white flight
then come in its gentrification.

[Drover]

Schools that don't suck would help.

You'd think there would be a ton more magnet schools since there is obviously a huge demand for them and the city knows it. Unfortunately, what I suspect would happen is that if there were enough magnet schools to serve actual demand, the racial balance would lean disproportionately toward white and maybe Asian students and the grievance establishment would cry "racism!"

Naturally, the city would rather placate the victim-pimps than provide better educational opportunities.

[Venom]

soon the burbs will be the ghettos.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by Venom

soon the burbs will be the ghettos.

Many already are. Looking at your "location", you may already be quite familiar with one of them.

[NYrules]

Originally Posted by west lawn kid

I have been curious what would the city have to do to get the people who flead the city back in the 90's, 80's, early 00's to come back. There is certainly enough room for them here on the depopulated south side. What do yous guys think?

Well continually raising taxes on everything as Daley and Stroger have been busy doing is NOT a way to attract anyone, much less white folks with half a brain. Guess their solution to loosing more business and residents is to again... RAISE TAXES! What geniuses we have ruining... I mean running this city.

[ajolotl]

Originally Posted by west lawn kid

I have been curious what would the city have to do to get the people who flead the city back in the 90's, 80's, early 00's to come back. There is certainly enough room for them here on the depopulated south side. What do yous guys think?

I don't see working class whites moving back to the south side. It is far more likely to see an increase in the Mexican population on the one hand and perhaps among white professionals in certain areas on the other. In fact both are currently happening in isolated areas. Still, though, the breadth and depth of blight is so great over such a large area that it's really hard to imagine anything but incremental changes without a large influx of middle class residents. I don't see that happening, though, as long as the schools suck and crime is out of whack compared to many middle class suburbs.

Perhaps dramatically higher transportation costs or deteriorating conditions in the suburbs would also help. Maybe also if there were a change in perception of mostly minority urban neighborhoods -- maybe a few examples of ones that are safe and prosperous.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by ajolotl

Maybe also if there were a change in perception of mostly minority urban neighborhoods -- maybe a few examples of ones that are safe and prosperous.

I think the "rising real estate prices forcing poor minorities out" model is a more likely scenario...

[ajolotl]

In general I agree. I was thinking that maybe certain reasonably maintained middle class neighborhoods that are well located with a solid housing stock (Chatham, Pill Hill, etc.) could attract a greater diversity of residents. Now they are basically 100% black. Most white people aren't going to tolerate the crime levels in Chatham when they can move to one of 25 suburbs with no violent crime for the same price.

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

I think the "rising real estate prices forcing poor minorities out" model is a more likely scenario...