David Schalliol, director of the documentary, 'The Area,' talks about the impact of a railroad expansion that demolished the homes of 400 families on the South Side of Chicago.
The last four years saw a long slow process by which about ten blocks on Chicago's South Side were bought or acquired through eminent domain and converted into a rail yard. As the homes were acquired and either left uninhabited or demolished by Norfolk Southern, which was only interested in the land, the community emptied out. David Schalliol's film The Area documents how that process unfolded in Englewood.
"Throughout the expansion push, many held out for years, particularly with black pride of ownership and community—pushing back in a city infamous for redlining and housing discrimination—rarely seems far from the surface," reports Stephen Gossett in Chicagoist.
The Area, which was originally produced as a short (see below), documents the experience that some of those left behind faced as there community originally faced the prospect of its demise. For some, moving was not merely a financial consideration. "Schalliol recalls a woman who spent some 55 years in her home, which she needed to anchor her memory as her dementia worsened. "No offer would have been sufficient” for the family," Gossett wrote.
FULL STORY: 'The Area' Director Talks RR Expansion That Bulldozed Entire Community
Coming Soon to Ohio: The Largest Agrivoltaic Farm in the US
The ambitious 6,000-acre project will combine an 800-watt solar farm with crop and livestock production.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
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.
Dallas Surburb Bans New Airbnbs
Plano’s city council banned all new permits for short-term rentals as concerns about their impacts on housing costs grow.
Divvy Introduces E-Bike Charging Docks
New, circular docks let e-bikes charge at stations, eliminating the need for frequent battery swaps.
How Freeway Projects Impact Climate Resilience
In addition to displacement and public health impacts, highway expansions can also make communities less resilient to flooding and other climate-related disasters.
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.