How would you choose to fix Chicago? What would you do? These drawn out questions proliferate the minds of everyone in this city. A city where gun violence is commonplace, poverty strikes down countless families, and public high school students would be lucky to attend college. Only until I entered adolescence did I realize I was among this population; I grew up in a neighborhood abundant with these traits, and most of my peers at school come from some form of wealth that save them and hide them from these traits one can only experience to truly understand. Only until recently did I realize the severity of these problems, but nevertheless my family seemed desensitized to our condition – except for one person, my brother. Being the
Chicago could emerge as a powerhouse over other populated cities in the United States and the United States could emerge as an evolving supreme nation over all others. The an unthinkably short deadline to meet, the success and the beauty Burnham was able to capture is truly miraculous. His’s intentions for the fair were pure; he truly desired Chicago to be molded into the “white city” and many would say he achieved his goal. On the opposite end of the spectrum, but a few blocks away from the exposition, Holmes also saw potential. Holmes was already a criminal, but his bloodthirsty desire grew when the opportunity arrived to prey on the people swarming to Chicago because of the opportunities and the exposition.
Chicago is described as a “hog slaughtering backwater” and having streets “oozing a fragrant muck of of horse manure, mud, and garbage.” Chicago without the fair is depicted as being almost inhabitable, nearly toxic to all of the citizens there. From this arises the reputation Chicago gets as a filthy hick town with no redeeming qualities, however from this reputation derives the need for a fair, creating good from bad. While the quality of Chicago has not considerably increased, the fair is described as “Chicago's pride” and as “great”. The positivity of the fair is contrasted with the lackluster quality of the surrounding areas of Chicago.
Charities as well as financial, housing provisions might not be the best solutions to the increase of crimes: the problem had to be solved where it rooted. As Jacob Riis suggested, the cause of it is most likely because of both legal and illegal immigration: “In New York, the youngest of the world’s great cities, that time came later than elsewhere, because the crowding had not been so great. There were those who believed that it would never come; but their hopes were vain” (365). Riis also implied that community gave those people - the “other half” no other choice; yet they had more choice than most: they were living in a city much younger than others, less crowded and many of them were immigrants who moved to New York by choice - conscious choice made rather recently, to say the least. Furthermore, Jacob Riis was quick to discard the fact that having this kind of agency may have been a spark to the riots - the unquenchable desire for better lives coupled with an unwillingness to accept reality as it is.
I adored the way that the creator really took after genuine individuals sharing the hardships and in addition their determination attempting to improve lives for themselves and future eras. My motivation in composing this critique is to urge more individuals to peruse the book and particularly those that experienced childhood with the south side of Chicago as I did. In general, I observed this book to be extremely intensive and exceptionally moving. This is unquestionably a book everybody ought to peruse in any event once. I like how the creator made it a story alongside information about what it was like during the
Mayor Emanuel plans on closing these schools to save the budget of CPS and to save the graduation rates. The Mayor is pushing CPS Grads to create some sort of ‘plan’ to give CPS students to better educate themselves on which degree they are heading for. Mayor Rahm Emanuel stated,”"If you change expectations, it's not hard for kids to adapt". Mayor Emanuel believes planting a seed in these young educators heads of long term goals, and having Graduates with degrees assisting them in new CPS programs, is the right way of making these students trust the new process of rebuilding these Chicago Public Schools and the CPS graduation rate.
“If it were that easy to reroute peoples’ life path, we should be doing it all the time for everyone” (Alexander) Alexander and Entwisle considers his students as, “urban disadvantaged”. He knew that keeping track of them was going to be one of the hardest thing. By the fifth grade, the children had scattered into the city’s 105 public elementary schools. They kept track of the students by their report cards and semiannual and then yearly interviews through high schools. Alexander and Entwisle wrote over 20 articles about each findings and the students.
George F. Will argues that the city of Chicago is at a turning point in its history and that the upcoming mayoral election will determine whether the city continues on a path of decline or begins to address its long-standing issues in his article "NATIONAL COLUMN: Chicago voters must choose further decline or a remedy for an ailing city." The urgent need for leadership and action to confront Chicago's ingrained problems, like crime, inequality, and economic stagnation, is the article's core focus. Will contends that years of disregard and poor management have made the city's issues worse and that a leadership change is required to stop the decline. Will provides numerous examples and research to back up his claims. For instance, he mentions
The community of the City of Asbury Park is one of the poorest in the State of New Jersey. As of now, the City’s local economy does not fulfill or generate enough financial resources or opportunities for all of its residents to transcend or be uplifted from poverty. The consequences of not having comprehensible and consistent economic policies are the roots for dilapidated housing, crime, and unemployment. The cycle of poverty and dissolve of the middle class has weakened the community of Asbury Park, and it has trapped many individuals and harmed their upward mobility.
The video "Chicago at the Crossroad" provides a comprehensive examination of the socioeconomic challenges faced by the city of Chicago. In this analysis, we will explore how the themes from the video align with concepts discussed in class lectures. Additionally, we will draw upon background knowledge from readings and lectures to provide context for the film. The analysis will also discuss new information learned from the video, share personal opinions, critically examine key issues raised, and conclude with recommendations and policy implications. The video touches upon several themes that resonate with class lectures, including urban sociology, crime and deviance, racial and ethnic inequality, urban politics, and public policy.
Anderson begins the section by explaining that there are two separate cultures in inner-city neighborhoods. The first are the “decent” this group is defined by commitment to “middle-class values,” (101). However, they are not mainstream in that they
There has to be a realistic solution that can be put into motion to benefit everyone involved. Referring again to his article “Is Gentrification All Bad?” Davidson argues that urban renewal, if done right, is not a monstrous custom that it is painted to be; nevertheless, he reasons that gentrification depends on who does it, how they do it, and why they do it. As a resident in New York, a city where gentrification is as widespread as the common cold in winter, Davidson speculates that those who go into a neighborhood with the intention to renovate houses, or abandoned buildings ought to have a good reason for it. The author points out that “Gentrification does not have to be something that one group inflicts on another…” (Davidson 349), rather, he suggests that everyone, the gentrifiers and the locals, be on the same page when it comes to developing their
Their city was growing and was awarded the chance to host the World’s Columbian Exchange. Chicago was becoming a prideful place. Officials and citizens were not concerned when people went missing because their city was thriving. Because Chicago was a selfish city, people dying in Chicago was not a concern. “Chicago was nothing more than a greedy, hog-slaughtering backwater.”
One night, during the cold winter, I walked along the side walk to reach the local store down the block. As I walked out, before I can realize it, I was dropping down onto the concrete while bullets swiftly passed me. I then began to run back home, but I wanted to keep running. Away from Chicago, away from the west side. Growing up in Chicago, it was easy to assume that there was nothing different beyond the blocks of my streets.
In this speech, I will begin by explaining what gentrification is along with a short background on the Lincoln Park gentrification, then I will proceed to explain how the families in these areas fought for their homes, and finally I will be discussing the gentrification that is affecting citizens of Chicago today. Body I. Gentrification is the process of renovating an area to meet the standards of a different social class, typically the upper middle class. Throughout this process the price of renting and owning a home increases while family owned businesses become bankrupt. Low-income families are left homeless and without the support of a
Issue: Within the last decade, San Francisco has dramatically changed. San Francisco’s working class people and poor neighborhoods underwent drastic economic and racial changes from the 1990s to mid 2000s, resulting in the undeniable gentrification of the districts. San Francisco’s gentrification has reached a ridiculous new extreme, making it the most expensive city in the country, outstripping even Manhattan. The beginning of the issue was right after the dotcom and Tech industries started drastically moving to the Bay Area.