Chicago’s housing experiment

Chicago’s Housing Experiment. In the past decade, 82 crime ridden high-rises have been demolished, and with them, the lives of nearly 42,000 people left without homes. While redevelopment has improved the lives for many, some public housing residents fear they’ll now be driven out by rising real estate prices. So 14 years later, has this plan been for better, or worse? Join us Thursday at 7:30pmET. #AJAMStream

On this episode of The Stream, we'll speak to:

Toussaint Losier @ChiAntiEviction
Co-Founder, Anti-Eviction Campaign
chicagoantieviction.org

Rick Rogers
Managing Attorney,  The Rogers Law Group
therogerslawgroup.com

Commissioner Bridget Gainer @BridgetGainer
Cook County Commissioner 
bridgetgainer.com

Natalie Saffold
President, LeClaire Courts Apartments 

What do you think? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below. 

In 1999, the city of Chicago launched the Plan for Transformation to address an affordable housing shortage and project homes that suffered decades of neglect. The city demolished 82 high-rise projects, including the infamous Cabrini-Green Projects, and bought vacant properties to revitalize and resell. The initiative was one of the biggest urban redesign investments in the country. 

Yet more than a decade later, many families remain displaced following the demolition phase. Some Chicagoans say a transition by the city toward housing partnerships with private companies and developers has resulted in the city of Chicago experiencing gentrification along racial lines.