Real Time Chicago Lecture Series – Chicago Bungalow Association: Helping to Maintain, Preserve, and Adapt Your Older Home


 

The Real-Time Chicago Lecture Series for Spring 2025 continues its focus on Reimagining Housing Support and Access: Bridging Research, Action, and Community-Centered Process with an insightful discussion on maintaining, preserving, and adapting older homes.

This session will spotlight the Chicago Bungalow Association (CBA), an organization dedicated to helping homeowners maintain and preserve Chicago’s historic housing stock while ensuring long-term sustainability and affordability. Lia Rulli, Program Manager at CBA, as well as Carla Bruni, Preservation and Resiliency Specialist at CBA, will share expert insights on the association’s vital work, including home repair resources, energy efficiency programs, and innovative strategies for adapting older homes to modern needs.

 

Event Details:

Date: Wednesday, February 19th, 2025

Time: 1 PM to 2 PM Central/Chicago Time

Location: Great Cities Institute | 412 South Peoria St, Suite 400, Chicago, IL 60607

 

Please click here to RSVP. To download flyer, please click here.

 


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WTTW News Town Hall: The State of Our City

The town hall, hosted by WTTW in partnership with My Block, My Hood, My City, was a 90-minute discussion on key issues impacting Chicago’s future. The event featured a panel including Mayor Brandon Johnson, community leaders, educators, researchers, and youth representatives. The discussion was structured around major themes, including public safety, education, economic investment, housing, immigration, and civic engagement.

Teresa Córdova, Director of the Great Cities Institute and a professor of Urban Planning and Policy at UIC, provided insights on economic equity, job access, and the role of immigrants in Chicago’s economy at this town hall.

    • She emphasized the importance of job access and industry retention policies, noting that investing in employment opportunities for young people is key to addressing inequality.
    • Córdova highlighted the economic contributions of Latino and immigrant communities, pushing back against narratives that frame them as economic burdens. She pointed out that Latinos play a crucial role in Chicago’s workforce, tax base, and economy, particularly in sectors like construction, landscaping, and food services.
    • She advocated for community-driven planning to ensure that economic investments align with neighborhood priorities, suggesting that structured community plans can help residents take control of development in their areas.
    • In the discussion on housing, she pointed out the need for public investment and subsidies to support affordable housing, arguing that market-driven solutions alone cannot address the affordability crisis.
    • She framed collaboration between Black, Brown, and immigrant communities as essential, urging residents to recognize their shared struggles and work together rather than being divided by misinformation.

 


From WTTW (To go to the actual article, please click on this link.)


 

Real Time Chicago Lecture Series – Spanish Coalition for Housing: Providing Housing Services to the Community for 50+ Years


 

The Real Time Chicago Lecture Series is back for Spring 2025, as it continues with its focus on Reimagining Housing Support and Access: Bridging Research, Action, and Community-Centered Process. This session will spotlight the Spanish Coalition for Housing, a vital organization that has been providing housing services to the community for over 50 years. Join Emilio Carrasquillo, Program Manager at the Spanish Coalition for Housing, as he shares insights into the organization’s impactful work and its role in fostering equitable access to housing through innovative, community-driven approaches.

This engaging event will take place on January 29, 2025, from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM at the Great Cities Institute Conference Room, located at 412 S Peoria St, Suite 400, Chicago, IL 60607. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn more about the Coalition’s transformative efforts and their vision for the future of housing support.

 

Event Details:

Date: Wednesday, January 29th, 2025

Time: 1 PM to 2 PM Central/Chicago Time

Location: Great Cities Institute | 412 South Peoria St, Suite 400, Chicago, IL 60607

 

Please click here to RSVP. To download flyer, please click here.

 


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Rest in Peace José “Cha Cha” Jimenez, founder and chairman of the Young Lords


Rest in Peace José “Cha Cha” Jimenez


 

Fighting against gentrification and for neighborhood empowerment were just two of the issues that occupied the attention of José “Cha Cha” Jimenez, founder and chairman of the Young Lords. Cha Cha was born on August 8, 1948, and lived until January 10, 2025. Today, January 16th, his family laid him to rest.

We express our condolences to his family and close friends and celebrate his life by sharing with you an interview that we did of Cha Cha on August 28, 2018, after our event commemorating the 50th anniversary of the 1968 Democratic Convention.

In this interview, you can hear Cha Cha talk about the formation of the Young Lords and how it shifted from a street gang to a political organization and social movement. You can also hear him describe many issues they tackled and the alliances that they formed.

Feel free to check out the video of the full event as well as interviews of other participants in the panel discussion that we held on 2018, including Billy “Che” Brooks, Congressman Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, Mary Scot-Boria, and Don Rose.

Cha Cha, you left your mark on history and we thank you.

 


Talk with Dr. Stephen Small – The Second City of the British Empire: Videos

Here is the full recorded video of “The Second City of the British Empire: How History and Place Shape Race and Resistance in Liverpool,” on December 12th, 2024.

And snapshots from the event, with 1) introduction; 2) conclusion; and 3) Q&A.

GCI Releases Updated Hardship Index for Chicago Community Areas


Great Cities Institute Releases Updated Hardship Index for Chicago Community Areas with Newly Released Data


 

The Great Cities Institute (GCI) is proud to release its updated Chicago Community Area Hardship Index, incorporating newly available data from the 2019-2023 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates. This update continues GCI’s commitment to tracking and visualizing socioeconomic hardship across Chicago’s 77 community areas.

The Hardship Index combines six key socioeconomic indicators—unemployment, education, per capita income, poverty, crowded housing, and dependency ratio—to quantify economic challenges across the city’s 77 community areas. These indicators, standardized on a 0 to 100 scale, paint a vivid picture of where Chicago’s most pressing hardships lie.

Since its introduction in 2016, GCI’s Chicago Community Area Hardship Index has served as a valuable tool for policymakers, journalists, and organizations addressing Chicago’s most pressing challenges. Notably, it has been used:

For the latest update, GCI is releasing the Hardship Index as an interactive online map, accompanied by the data that underpin the calculations.

These indicators were first applied to Chicago’s community areas in 2016 by Matt E. Sweeney and Matthew D. Wilson, adapting the methodology from the “Intercity Hardship Index” developed in 1976 by Richard P. Nathan and Charles F. Adams, Jr.

Key Findings from the 2019-2023 Update
The updated findings highlight a clear spatial clustering of hardship across Chicago:

  • Community areas with the highest hardship scores are predominantly concentrated on the South and West Sides, including:
    • Riverdale (83.1)
    • Fuller Park (74.1)
    • West Garfield Park (69.3)
  • Areas with low hardship scores are mostly located along Lake Michigan or the North Side, such as:
    • Near North Side (8.9)
    • Lincoln Park (9.2)
    • Lake View (11.6)

The median hardship score for Chicago’s community areas is 43.9, represented by the Lower West Side.

As with all the data, reports, and analysis we release, we hope this can be of use to policy makers, government agencies, foundations and service organizations in determining resource allocation.

Also explore the interactive map and access the data here.

 


 

Teresa Córdova Recognized by Crain’s as a 2024 Notable Latino Leader

Crain’s Chicago Business has unveiled its 2024 list of Notable Leaders, recognizing individuals across Chicago who exemplify excellence in management, innovation, mentorship, and community impact. Among these distinguished leaders is Teresa Córdova, who was selected as one of the Notable Latino Leaders for her remarkable contributions.

As the Director of the Great Cities Institute and a professor of urban planning and policy at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), Teresa Córdova leads a core team of 12 with a $2 million budget, focusing on research, economic strategies, and evaluations in urban development. A key accomplishment is launching the Latino Research Initiative, providing critical data to policymakers, training Latino researchers, and co-producing research with community partners. Also, as a part of the LRI, she hosts an annual summit on workforce development and policy. Additionally, she serves on the Cook County Economic Development Advisory Committee and the Grand Victoria Foundation board and has contributed to transition committees for Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker.

 

Teresa Córdova is one of six influential leaders from UIC recognized by Crain’s as a Notable Leader for 2024, highlighting the university’s role in shaping innovation and impactful leadership.

 


From Crain’s Chicago Business (To go to the actual article, please click on this link.)
From UIC Today (To go to the actual article, please click on this link.)


 

Fred Harris, friend of GCI, former Senator, dies at 94


Fred Harris, friend of Great Cities, former U.S. Senator, and last living member of the historic Kerner Commission Report dies at the age of 94


 

We mourn the passing of Fred Harris, who died on November 23, 2024, and whose memorial was held this past weekend at the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Nearly one thousand people attended to celebrate this important public servant, who was raised in Oklahoma, the son of a migrant farmer.

We had the pleasure of hosting Dr. Harris at our event on March 1, 2018, when we commemorated fifty years since the release on February 29, 1968, of the report of the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, also known as the Kerner Commission Report, named after its Chairman, Governor Otto Kerner of Illinois. Fred Harris distinguished himself as member of this Commission.  If you would like to view the event that featured Senator Harris, you can do so here. With this same link, you will also find a one-on-one interview with him, as well as interviews with other featured panelists including Timuel Black and Eugene “Gus” Newport.

If you would like to know more about this very special man, you can listen to this 2012 Interview with Dr. Harris, from Voices of Oklahoma.

In 1965, in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, rioting erupted after an incident with police. Two years later, in June of 1967, riots erupted in several cities across the nation including Atlanta, Boston, Cincinnati, Buffalo, and Tampa.  In July of 1967, Birmingham, Chicago, New York, Milwaukee, New Britain (Connecticut), Rochester and Plainfield (New Jersey).  Most notable were the rebellions in Newark and Detroit. In Detroit, for example, police action precipitated five days of unrest during which time the national guard and U.S. airborne divisions were added to the mix.

In the aftermath of the long, hot summer of 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson established the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders. The 11-member commission examined the conditions of the cities that led to the turmoil and made recommendations addressing the underlying causes. The Commission’s report, released on February 29, 1968, marks a pivotal moment in the changing dynamics of U.S. cities and of critical analysis of the role of race as a division in America.  Elected to the U.S. Senate from the state of Oklahoma in 1964, Senator Harris quickly became one of the most active members of the U.S. Senate and was deeply concerned about the conditions for inner-city African Americans, recognizing that unequal treatment of urban neighborhoods was one of the determining factors in the 1967 unrest.

We know he will rest in peace after a life of dedication to civil rights and human dignity.

For more on Dr. Harris, the Kerner Commission, and the Great Cities March 2018 Commemoration, See below:

 


The Second City of the British Empire: How History and Place Shape Race and Resistance in Liverpool


Video


 


 

Great Cities Institute hosted Dr. Stephen Small from the University of California, Berkeley, who discussed Liverpool’s unique Black community, its historical roots, systemic challenges, and how city policies contrast with London’s immigrant-focused approach to shaping Black British urban life.

 

More about the talk:

Most scholarship on Black communities in urban areas in Britain at the end of the twentieth century are dominated by a focus on London, where Black communities were overwhelmingly post second world war immigrants from the West Indies – along with their British-born children – living across multiple neighborhoods.  Black families in London were primarily comprised of two West Indian parents (rather than inter-racial marriages). But in Liverpool most people in the Black community were long-term citizens and residents with some families dating back generations or centuries; most Black people were African, or in families of mixed African-white parentage; and 90% or more of the Black community in the city lived in one segregated neighborhood. Most state and city policies – in employment, housing and schools – were designed to help recent Black immigrants and their children assimilate (for example, providing funds for schools) rather than helping long-term Black residents of Liverpool combat endemic racism.  How did these dramatic differences arise? How were they manifested by the end of the 20th century? How has the city government responded to the Black community in Liverpool? And how does an analysis of Liverpool deepen and broaden our understanding of urban areas in Black Britain?

 

More about the author:

Stephen Small, PhD. is a Professor in the Department of African American Studies and African Diaspora Studies at the University of California, Berkeley where he has taught since 1995; and he is Director of the Institute for the Study of Societal Issues (since June 2020). He earned his Ph.D. in Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley (1989); his MS.C in Social Sciences from the University of Bristol (1983); and his B.A. (honors) in Economics and Sociology from the University of Kent at Canterbury (1979). He researches the history and sociology of Black people across the diaspora. His most recent book is entitled: In the Shadows of the Big House: 21st Century Antebellum Slave Cabins and Heritage Tourism in Louisiana (2023).  Recent publications include 1981: Black Liverpool Past and Present (2023) (co-written with Jimi Jagne); 20 Questions and Answers on Black Europe (2018). He is co-editor of Black Europe and the African Diaspora, 2009. His next book on Black Culture in Liverpool in the 1970s-2000s will be published by Liverpool University Press in 2025. Stephen was born and raised in Liverpool – the city with the nation’s longest-standing Black population.

 

Event Details:

Date: Thursday, December 12th, 2024

Time: 12 PM to 1 PM Central/Chicago Time

Location: Great Cities Institute | 412 South Peoria St, Suite 400, Chicago, IL 60607

If you can’t make it in person. Here is the link to join us via a zoom webinar.

 

Please click here to RSVP. To download flyer, please click here.

 


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David Perry, urban planner strengthening Chicago neighborhoods, dies at 82

This article honors David Perry, a visionary urban planner and UIC professor who passed away at 82 on December 2. Known for his dedication to social justice, Perry directed UIC’s Great Cities Institute and contributed to major urban projects like Chicago’s Zoning Reform. A champion of engaged research, he believed “universities need to be community-based organizations.” Perry authored over 150 works on urban policy, race, and public infrastructure. Remembered for his humility and curiosity, he treated students as peers.

 


From Chicago Sun Times (To go to the actual article, please click on this link.)