Gentrification Continues in Chicago
By Xaris Nunez
Staff Writer
The rising cost of living in Chicago's South and West side neighborhoods has led to the displacement of many residents, with an increasing number of predominantly Black and Latino communities becoming gentrified, pricing out minorities from the neighborhoods they’ve spent their entire lives in.
“It was extremely evident that there is vested interest when, you know, families were selling their houses,” said 26th Ward Alderman Candidate Jessie Fuentes.
The Humboldt Park neighborhood has become one of the most gentrified communities in Chicago. According to Urbandisplacement.org, Humboldt Park is already considered to be in the “advanced gentrification stage”.
While some residents have been fortunate enough to stay, those who remain feel as though their community has undergone significant changes.
“It’s really sad to see that people in my neighborhood who are from here cannot hang out in the park anymore, because it’s patrolled so much since a bunch of white people who recently moved into the neighborhood continue to complain about the noise and loud music,” said one longtime resident, who wished to remain anonymous. “People can’t even park and hangout in the summer like they used to. It just doesn’t feel the same”.
Efforts are underway to bring residents back to the neighborhood, as evidenced by the approval of a new affordable housing unit in September for the Humboldt Park community, which includes 64 units, providing those who have been displaced by gentrification a chance to return.
“As long as we have someone in a community that is continuously fighting for what we have, not only can we sustain what we have, but we can also bring back families that have been displaced,” said Fuentes.
Humboldt Park's current alderman, Roberto Maldonado, is selling his property near the controversial 606 elevated trail for $2.4 million, which has been criticized for contributing to the gentrification of the area. Maldonado declined to comment on the matter.
“It’s nice, they’re trying to make the neighborhood look better, but at the same time the rent is going up,” said Harold Washington College Student Crystal De La Cruz.
The issue of gentrification is not limited to Humboldt Park, as other Chicago neighborhoods like Garfield Park, Hermosa, and Avondale are also experiencing ongoing gentrification.
