Using Shrubbery Greens To Produce Dollar Greens

"Chicago officials have a plan for turning the Garfield Park Conservatory into a West Side economic engine: create a "green town" of landscaping businesses on a corridor near the park to fill vacant lots and provide jobs for residents...." The effort comes in response to a study that concludes that despite the success of luring thousands to the conservatory last year, it "failed to turn the windfall into lasting economic benefits for the West Side"--a low-income, high crime area. Officials hope that "a mile-long green town will capitalize on the conservatory's emphasis on plants and make Lake Street, from East Garfield Park toward downtown, a horticultural hub....National park organizations say a similar concept has revitalized areas around parks across the country, where farmers markets are set up on the periphery and attract other businesses....the farmers market idea also has helped grow businesses around parks in Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Atlanta, and Baltimore." LISC will work with the City to help attract green-town businesses, in addition to improving housing, health care and other business development in the area.

Thanks to Connie Chung