In the 1960s, the University of Chicago was subjecting Hyde Park and South Kenwood to a harsh regimen of urban renewal. It invoked eminent domain to take control of property in areas of “blight” and redevelop them, displacing many low-income residents and businesses. When it turned its gaze southward, however, it met far greater resistance to its gentrifying influence. The Temporary Woodlawn Organization (now The Woodlawn Organization, or TWO) united Woodlawn residents, activists, and religious leaders in opposition to the University’s agenda and the neighborhood’s decline. Led by then-president Arthur M. Brazier and helped by renowned community organizer Saul Alinsky, TWO protested against the unresponsive, underhanded practices of local businesses, landlords, and city officials. Its members called for an end to landlords’ neglect of their buildings and the sale of inferior products at inflated prices. On both counts they won small victories, but 1964 marked a major triumph: TWO extracted a promise from the University not to expand south of 61st Street. Read the rest of this entry »

Hyde Park Progress: When someone asks what Hyde Park Progress is all about, “chicago pop,” one of the blog’s three contributors, makes a plea for his community’s development. Hyde Park used to be pretty awesome when it was bustling with commerce and public transportation. Since World War II and the racial and social changes that followed, however, the Hyde Park Establishment (the blog’s collective term for organizations like the Hyde Park Herald and the Hyde Park Historical Society) has adopted a protectionist philosophy in order to protect its community from decline. In other words, this place is pretty boring. The blog’s proposed solution? Open the community’s arms to outside businesses and watch the magic happen. (Elise Biggers) Read the rest of this entry »