The Hilliard Homes avoided the wrecking ball for 50 years, even while other high-rise projects were knocked down. A Chicago Reader pierce suggests the design and management of these buildings could make them a model for future High-rise projects.
High-rise projects have a bad reputation and, in Chicago, two thirds of them have been torn down. The Hilliard Homes near Chinatown have not, and as Maya Dukmasova of the Chicago Reader reports there's good reason for that. For a start, the buildings were designed by renowned architect, Bertrand Goldberg, who gave the buildings his "Signature bulbous, organic shapes, reminiscent of corncobs or honeycombs." He was, after all, the man who had designed Marina City, iconic buildings which are home to some of Chicago's wealthiest residents.
Projects like the Hilliard Homes, despite their pedigree, have come down around the country, and this project may have suffered the same fate if it hadn’t had a famous name attached to it. "Less than a decade after Hilliard opened, America began to embrace the idea that high-rise public housing doesn't work." And, while many who lived in the apartments in the 70s compared it favorably to other projects around the city, in the 80s the building was in need of serious maintenance, which the Chicago Housing Authority determined it could not provide. Eventually the buildings were sold to Peter Holsten.
Many are proud of the transition the building made. "The development contains a concentration of low-income residents living in high-rise buildings (in subsidized units). Though this has come to be seen as a recipe for disaster in housing policy circles, a stroll through Hilliard today makes it seem like a utopia." Dukmasova reports that this is not achieved by architecture alone, but through careful management including over 100 million dollars in improvements that were put into the building when it was purchased, and sometimes controversial rules around behavior in the building and background checks for perspective tenants. Holsten the current owner of the Hilliard Homes, says he will tell troublesome young people who fight or cause trouble on the property. "If this keeps going on, your mother is at risk of losing her apartment. Is that what you want?" Holsten believes that the consistent and fair deployment of these rules are a big part of what makes the development successful.
FULL STORY: The Goldberg variation: High-rise public housing that works
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
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.
U.S. Supreme Court: California's Impact Fees May Violate Takings Clause
A California property owner took El Dorado County to state court after paying a traffic impact fee he felt was exorbitant. He lost in trial court, appellate court, and the California Supreme Court denied review. Then the U.S. Supreme Court acted.
California Grid Runs on 100% Renewable Energy for Over 9 Hours
The state’s energy grid was entirely powered by clean energy for some portion of the day on 37 out of the last 45 days.
New Forecasting Tool Aims to Reduce Heat-Related Deaths
Two federal agencies launched a new, easy-to-use, color-coded heat warning system that combines meteorological and medical risk factors.
AI Traffic Management Comes to Dallas-Fort Worth
Several Texas cities are using an AI-powered platform called NoTraffic to help manage traffic signals to increase safety and improve traffic flow.
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.