Black residents of Chicago are leaving for cities like Atlanta in massive numbers—away from the waves of crime tearing apart their hometown.
William Lee describes the crime and poverty driving black residents away from Chicago, where he lives in the South Side neighborhood of South Shore. According to Lee, "a multitude of black residents have called it quits with their hometown, searching for safety and prosperity beyond the city limits — my own friends and family among them." Lee adds: "It's been a humbling experience watching as those worlds, those communities filled with stable families and businesses, crumble into the dust." The data also backs up the personal anecdotes shared by Lee: the city lost 181,000 black residents between 2000 and 2010, according to the U.S. Census.
The article weaves more personal anecdotes with the research and data that describes the demographic trends at work in Chicago. The persistent theme that runs throughout the article: crime and its terrible effects on the communities of Chicago.
FULL STORY: A crumbling, dangerous South Side creates exodus of black Chicagoans
The 'New Great Migration' Picks Up Pace
Recent American Community Survey data solidifies an underappreciated pattern of migration in the United States: a reversal of the Great Migration of the 20th century, when an estimate 5 million Black Americans left the South.
Pandemic Uncertainties Could Push Even More Black Residents Out of the Urban Bay Area
Add the coronavirus pandemic to an already deeply troubled housing market and the Bay Area has a recipe for even more displacement in a region already facing a massive demographic shift.
The Freedom Georgia Initiative Buys 97 Acres to Build a New Black Community
Inspired by the killing of Ahmaud Arbery and a speech by rapper Killer Mike, a group of Black families is investing from the ground up in a new community that prioritizes the safety and financial empowerment of Black residents.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
Planning for Accessibility: Proximity is More Important than Mobility
Accessibility-based planning minimizes the distance that people must travel to reach desired services and activities. Measured this way, increased density can provide more total benefits than increased speeds.
World's Largest Wildlife Overpass In the Works in Los Angeles County
Caltrans will soon close half of the 101 Freeway in order to continue construction of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing near Agoura Hills in Los Angeles County.
Eviction Looms for Low-Income Tenants as Rent Debt Rises
Nonprofit housing operators across the country face almost $10 billion in rent debt.
Brightline West Breaks Ground
The high-speed rail line will link Las Vegas and the Los Angeles area.
Colorado Bans No-Fault Evictions
In most cases, landlords must provide a just cause for evicting tenants.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
