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There Goes the Neighborhood

Block by block, Chicago is changing. But is it for the better?

by WBEZ

Dec. 15, 2014

A decade ago many Chicago neighborhoods were undergoing massive transformations. Condos were replacing old factories, new homes were springing up in abandoned railyards, the city was tearing down public housing to make way for mixed-income communities. Entire neighborhoods were turning around, while others were being targeted for speculation by investors trying to predict the next gentrification hot spots.

Then came the housing crash and the Great Recession. The gap between affluent and poor neighborhoods grew while the number of middle-class neighborhoods diminished. Now, as Chicago's economy claws its way back from the recession, many neighborhoods in the midst of recovery are improving but not technically gentrifying. By focusing our fears on that bogeyman are we ignoring the poverty and disinvestment that continues to plague other areas of the city?

In this series, WBEZ community-bureau reporters dig into the latest census and real-estate data in partnership with University of Illinois at Chicago's Voorhees Center to tell the story of Chicago's changing neighborhoods.

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Real-estate developer in hot area sees bright future — and displacement

 by Chip Mitchell

On Chicago's Northwest Side, a developer behind a proposed upscale residential complex grapples with the working-class displacement his project will cause.

In 'up-and-coming' neighborhood, what's the tipping point for gentrification?

 by Susie An

In Belmont Cragin some residents worry that a healthy recovery may lead to something more.

Why don't black Chicago neighborhoods gentrify?

 by Natalie Moore

One expert points to longstanding poverty, lack of capital and retailers with an 'aversion to black consumers.'

'Uber-gentrification' a force in Chicago's West Loop

 by Natalie Moore

First it was Oprah, now Google. Former industrial zone is today an eclectic mix of meatpackers, celebrity chefs and high-end retailers.

Rents may be going up, but residents not going anywhere

 by Odette Yousef

As the housing market heats up in Chicago’s Albany Park neighborhood, one community group is looking for creative ways to curb the displacement of low-income residents.

Where is gentrification in Chicago?

To calculate its gentrification index, UIC researchers classified each Chicago community area by 13 socioeconomic factors. A point was added if the area was above the city average and subtracted if it was below. Change the map to see how areas compared in 2010 and how they've changed since 1970.

2010 Socioeconomic factors
Change in score from 1970-2010

Explore the Community Areas

Use the table below to examine how Chicago community areas compared in 2010 in some of the key gentrification indicators identified by the Univeristy of Illinois Chicago and how the study classified them.

Community Area Population White % Black % Hispanic %
Rogers Park 54,991 38 28 25
West Ridge 71,942 43 11 21
Uptown 56,362 52 21 13
Lincoln Square 39,493 63 5 19
North Center 31,867 79 2 13
Lake View 94,368 80 4 8
Lincoln Park 64,116 82 4 7
Near North Side 80,484 72 10 6
Edison Park 11,341 92 0 4
Norwood Park 36,742 80 1 13
Jefferson Park 25,448 68 1 20
Forest Glen 18,508 72 2 13
North Park 17,931 50 2 18
Albany Park 51,542 29 4 52
Portage Park 64,124 51 1 42
Irving Park 53,359 43 3 45
Dunning 41,932 71 1 23
Montclare 13,426 38 5 52
Belmont Cragin 78,743 15 5 77
Hermosa 25,010 8 1 90
Avondale 39,262 26 4 65
Logan Square 73,595 42 7 48
Humboldt Park 56,323 6 44 51
West Town 81,432 57 9 29
Austin 98,514 4 86 9
West Garfield Park 18,001 1 97 1
East Garfield Park 20,567 3 94 2
Near West Side 54,881 42 33 9
North Lawndale 35,912 2 92 5
South Lawndale 79,288 4 11 84
Lower West Side 35,769 12 3 82
Loop 29,283 63 12 6
Near South Side 21,390 45 28 6
Armour Square 13,391 11 12 5
Douglas 18,238 12 72 3
Oakland 5,918 3 93 4
Fuller Park 2,876 2 92 5
Grand Boulevard 21,929 4 92 3
Kenwood 17,841 17 71 4
Washington Park 11,717 0 98 1
Hyde Park 25,681 47 34 6
Woodlawn 25,983 7 88 2
South Shore 49,767 2 95 1
Chatham 31,028 0 98 0
Avalon Park 10,185 2 97 0
South Chicago 31,198 3 73 24
Burnside 2,916 1 99 0
Calumet Heights 13,812 1 95 4
Roseland 44,619 1 97 1
Pullman 7,325 7 85 8
South Deering 15,109 5 62 32
East Side 23,042 17 3 79
West Pullman 33,227 2 94 4
Riverdale 6,482 0 98 2
Hegewisch 9,426 39 11 51
Garfield Ridge 34,513 53 7 39
Archer Heights 13,393 22 2 74
Brighton Park 45,368 8 1 84
McKinley Park 15,612 18 3 62
Bridgeport 31,977 33 2 29
New City 44,377 14 30 54
West Elsdon 18,109 18 3 78
Gage Park 39,894 5 5 90
Clearing 23,139 52 1 46
West Lawn 33,355 17 3 79
Chicago Lawn 55,628 4 54 42
West Englewood 35,505 1 95 3
Englewood 30,654 1 98 1
Greater Grand Crossing 32,602 1 97 1
Ashburn 41,081 17 52 31
Auburn Gresham 48,743 0 98 1
Beverly 20,034 58 35 5
Washington Heights 26,493 1 98 1
Mount Greenwood 19,093 88 5 5
Morgan Park 22,530 32 64 2
O'Hare 12,559 74 1 14
Edgewater 56,521 53 15 16