BRONZEVILLE SOUTH LAKEFRONT Woodlawn: Rebuilding the Village May 2005
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Chicago Neighborhoods 2015: Assets, Plans and Trends – A project of The Chicago Community Trust BRONZEVILLE SOUTH LAKEFRONT Woodlawn: Rebuilding the Village May 2005 Community Area: Woodlawn Woodlawn Preservation and Investment Corporation, The Woodlawn Organization, LISC, Camiros, University of Chicago By 1960, 81,000 people lived in the Woodlawn community, which had become predominantly African- American. The community then experienced disinvestment and decline and the population fell to just 27,000 in 2000. Woodlawn: Rebuilding the Village is a quality of life plan that proposes eight strategies to help Woodlawn strengthen its local economy and stabilize its population. The plan acknowledges recent efforts of local organizations and private developers to build housing in the community. While recognizing the benefits of these new housing options, the plan also recognizes a need for improving school performance, local retail, youth programming, and links to the regional job market. The goal of such strategies is to reverse disinvestment and population decline that has occurred in the Woodlawn community for the past five decades. General Recommendations: Expand the supply of new housing for a mix of incomes and support improvement of existing housing stock; Develop a vibrant retail and business environment and a central shopping district along Cottage Grove Avenue south of 63rd Street; Promote economic opportunity, workforce development and improved connections to the job market; Organize people and resources to make all Woodlawn schools excellent; Improve communication and coordination among organizations, residents and institutions; Plan and implement activities and programs for youth; Expand recreational activities for all ages and develop new programs around arts and culture; Provide professional development resources and other support to health and social service agencies. Specific Recommendations: Promote balanced development of housing that includes new and rehabbed market-rate units, while preserving affordable housing opportunities; Establish a comprehensive housing center; Improve maintenance of and encourage reinvestment in rental housing; Survey housing conditions to identify problem properties; Engage residents and stakeholders in a planning process for improvements to Grove Parc Plaza; Support development of the Living Room Café; Develop new housing options for seniors; Create a central business district along Cottage Grove Avenue from 63rd to 67th Streets; Beautify the section of 63rd Street that runs under the El tracks, from Cottage Grove Avenue to Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive; Create a local chamber of commerce; Incorporate public art, historic preservation, landscaping and community heritage; Create concentrated nodes of commercial development; Coordinate with the University of Chicago’s South Campus plan; Add a Center for Working Families component to the Woodlawn Employment Center to provide comprehensive employment and financial services; Develop local job opportunities for adults and youth; Connect residents to specialized training and job opportunities for residents with criminal records, limited employment histories or disabilities; Promote local entrepreneurship and new-business start-ups; Create a Woodlawn schools network; Develop two new charter schools; Create community schools; Develop local and citywide resources to strengthen educational opportunities; Expand and strengthen early childhood development programs; Provide community service, internship and co-op employment opportunities; Develop programs to reduce the dropout rate and combat high school truancy; Create Chicago Neighborhoods 2015 Plans Synthesis – Bronzeville South Lakefront – February 2015 – Page 1 Chicago Neighborhoods 2015: Assets, Plans and Trends – A project of The Chicago Community Trust opportunities for intergenerational activities; Expand the local tradition of block club organizing; Create a program to welcome newcomers; Promote residents’ involvement with local agencies; Identify collaborative opportunities for social service agencies to improve and coordinate programming and services for residents; Develop stronger connections and programming among religious institutions; Create safer streets for residents through expanded partnerships; Monitor crime and develop programs to improve safety; Disseminate community information about social and economic issues; Organize a planning process around youth needs; Develop new or expanded programs based on the planning process and other identified needs; Coordinate and promote established and new programs, including after-school tutoring and cultural activities, such as dance, music and visual arts; Build an injury-free playground for young children in the area bounded by 63rd to 67th Streets and Cottage Grove Avenue to Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive; Expand recreational programming throughout Woodlawn; Develop the Chicago Park District Harris Recreation Center as a cultural and recreational hub; Expand neighborhood- friendly programming at nearby major facilities; Create a Woodlawn arts council; Support development of live-work space for artists; Establish a program of public art and beautification along key streets and in public facilities, and involve youth in creating the artworks; Establish social and informational get- togethers for senior citizens; Sponsor regular health fairs and screenings, seminar and other events; Support and strengthen local providers of social and health services; Regularly analyze community health and social service needs to assist in evaluating programs and services. Plan Maps and Data References: Study area map, p. 6; Catalyst project map, p. 10; Enhancement program for 63rd Street, p. 20; 63rd Street streetscape, p. 21; South campus plan, p. 22; Schedule and priorities, pp. 33-36. Highlighted Accomplishments: Engaged residents and stakeholders in a planning process for improvements to Grove Parc Plaza leading to a $30M HUD Choice Neighborhoods grant for comprehensive redevelopment; Added a Center for Working Families component to the Woodlawn Employment Center; Created a Woodlawn schools network, the Woodlawn Children’s Promise Community; Expanded and strengthened early childhood development programs; Added two new cafes, “Robust” and “Greenline.” Key Unfinished Projects: Create a chamber of commerce; Support the development of the Living Room Café; Establish a comprehensive housing center; Build an injury-free playground; Identify collaborative opportunities for social service agencies to improve and coordinate programming and services for residents; Develop the Chicago Park District Harris Recreation Center as a cultural and recreational hub; Create a Woodlawn arts council; Establish social and informational get-togethers for senior citizens and a major annual event to help seniors maintain an active social life. Woodlawn: Rebuilding the Village Chicago Neighborhoods 2015 Plans Synthesis – Bronzeville South Lakefront – February 2015 – Page 2 Chicago Neighborhoods 2015: Assets, Plans and Trends – A project of The Chicago Community Trust Quad Communities: Connecting Past, Present and Future May 2005 Community Areas: Douglas, Oakland, Grand Boulevard and Kenwood Quad Communities Development Corporation, LISC, Camiros, Kym Abrams Design The Quad Communities, also known as Chicago’s Black Metropolis and Bronzeville, has undergone substantial change. The Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) is transforming its housing developments, new investors are purchasing the area’s vacant lots and middle-income residents are returning to the area. The history of the Quad Communities is rich with arts and entertainment, and is especially renowned for gospel, blues, jazz and rock and roll innovators, such as Thomas Dorsey, King Oliver, Jelly Roll Morton and Muddy Waters. The community’s location is proximate to the South Loop, Lake Michigan, Hyde Park-South Kenwood, the Museum campus, University of Chicago, the Expressway, Metra and the CTA Green and Red lines. Community activism and local arts and culture organizations are on the rise, as well, most notably with the opening of the Little Black Pearl’s facility at 47th Street and Greenwood Avenue. General Recommendations: Improve the quality of all local schools and ensure they are open to all residents; Provide employment and financial education services through new programs and better coordination of established ones; Create recreational, social and employment opportunities for youth; Support a mix of low-income, affordable and market-rate housing, and foster interaction among diverse residents; Improve safety through partnerships with residents, the Chicago Police Department and the University of Chicago Police Department; Promote and coordinate health care and social services and help residents develop healthy lifestyles; Develop unique retail and commercial districts and foster locally owned businesses; Improve community infrastructure, including transportation and information systems; Integrate arts, culture and history into the everyday life of the community. Specific Recommendations: Ensure children living in a school attendance area can attend that school; Create a network of “community schools” that partner with local institutions and have extended hours from 7am to 7pm; Assess child-care needs and affordability and add pre-school and full-day kindergarten at local schools, where needed; Support charter and parochial schools; Improve high school education; Create business and education partnerships; Enable