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Exploring Chicago's North Lawndale Neighborhood
A Deeper Look at Gentrification in one of Chicago's prominent neighborhoods using ArcGIS to create a StoryMap
At the forefront of city planning efforts in Chicago’s South and West sides is an attempt to reverse decades of disinvestments as multiple resources in City departments are being brought together along with philanthropic partners and community organizations in order to revive neighborhoods such as North Lawndale which has been a historical landmark and place of interest in Chicago, IL. The “Invest South/West Initiative” created by the Department of Planning and Development (DPD) has focused on comprehensive growth and sustainability for the city and its neighborhoods.
North Lawndale, Chicago, IL
Within the "Invest South/West initiative" is a plan that focused on corridors of importance within North Lawndale and 9 other surrounding communities. North Lawndale contains Ogden Avenue and Kedzie Avenue which are important priority places of interest for public and private investments with public transit.
Ogden Avenue was chosen as a priority corridor for public and private investments since it was a primary target for public transit as the CTA Pink Line has been prominent in the area.
Named after John H. Kedzie, an early real-estate developer, Kedzie Avenue is a corridor with multiple bus stations that span neighborhoods in a south to north direction.
Historic People, Places, and Events
Among the historic places in North Lawndale, exists what is known as the K-Town Historic District which is registered on the National Register of Historic Places in Chicago. K-Town is mainly a residential area and became an area which was annexed in 1889 when streets were given names alphabetically. This area was originally settled by Czech immigrants to the United States in the early twentieth century but became predominantly African American during the Great Migration from mostly southern states. Of notable interest was the presence of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who stayed in an apartment in North Lawndale in 1966 as he highlighted the deplorable conditions after blight occurred in the area. It is said that the time in which Dr. King spent there helped to pave the way for the Fair Housing Act following his campaigning against discriminatory housing practices on a national level. When Dr. King was assassinated, many riots followed and a series of economic and social disasters were observed in North Lawndale in 1968 which destroyed many stores along what is known as Roosevelt Road which further accelerated a decline in business in the community.
Map Tour: Gentrification in Homan Square and Humboldt Park
K-Town Historic District
In the latter part of the twentieth century, Russian Jews became North Lawndale’s largest residential group and in the 1950’s African Americans started moving into the neighborhood from southern states as well as from displacement from urban renewal projects. White flight would soon occur, yet no new housing was built despite severe residential overcrowding and the effects of the Great Depression which caused physical decline at such a level that the city’s Community Conservation Board recognized parts of North Lawndale as a conservation area.
Following World War II and then the riots after the assassination of Dr. King, the area became known for contributions to Zionism, housing policies, civil rights, industrial psychology, scientific management, community organizing, and the Black Power movement. An important grassroots organization was formed and named the “Contract Buyers League” which set out to combat the discriminatory housing practices in 1968 which fought “contract selling.”
Today, one can see that North Lawndale has gone through many shifts culturally, demographically, and architecturally. There has been decades of redlining and disinvestment in the commercial real estate for the area. In 2018, a comprehensive “Quality of Life” Plan was launched in North Lawndale and community infrastructure has been implemented that is increasing access to affordable housing, education, and health care.