Mapping the Shrinking Neighborhoods of Chicago

Daniel Kay Hertz shares a map tracking the population of neighborhoods in Chicago since 1950, providing insights into how the city has changed.

1 minute read

September 9, 2014, 12:00 PM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Chicago Bronzeville

vxla / Flickr

Hertz begins the post by explaining why population is so important (e.g., implications on tax receipts, job access, etc.) before sharing a map that shows surprising trends and steep population losses in many parts of the cities.

From Hertz's observations of the map:

  • "The historic 'black belt' – the area from roughly 26th down to Woodlawn (the neighborhood), from the Dan Ryan to the lake – got hammered. This isn’t surprising for a number of reasons. The first is that the black belt – especially the older parts in central Bronzeville – was horrifically overcrowded in the 1940s."
  • "The wealthy north lakefront neighborhoods have lost significant population, contrary to popular belief."

There is more detail and insight (plus: the map) available in the post, but Hertz also promises to write more on the theme in the future.

Sunday, September 7, 2014 in City Notes

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