The Curbed Cup, Curbed Chicago's annual Neighborhood of the Year tournament, is kicking off with 16 'hoods, which will square off in a series of one-on-one matchups. Voting for each matchup will close in the wee hours of the following day. We'll showcase two first round contests per day through the week with results reviewed on Friday. Let the eliminations begin!
Having fun yet? The Curbed Cup's second pairing features neighbors Logan Square and Bucktown. These 'hoods are at radically different stages of gentrification, but Logan is catching up. The whole city is taking notice of Logan's burgeoning restaurant and live music scene, and it seems like there's a new cocktail "speakeasy" opening every 12 hours. The arts are still fertile, and hopefully local institutions like the Logan Square Auditorium, the redesigned Logan Theater, and a smattering of small creative spaces will help keep it that way. It's a big neighborhood, so Bucktown & Wicker's gentrifying forces won't totally conquer any time soon.
Bucktown's nominator cites a renewed growth spurt, "eclectic homes", and strong neighborhood pride as reasons for the area's ascendancy. Things seem about the same as last year, although work is about to begin on the Bloomingdale Trail elevated park. Fine dining, conspicuous consumption, tear-downs and new-builds, and those awesome residential block corner pubs are here to stay.
·Curbed Cup 2012
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