Chicago's population may have dropped 20 percent since 1950, but experts who gathered at the DePaul Center yesterday said the rise of developments on the city's south and west sides are promising signs that the city isn't "shrinking," according to Medill Reports.
"Physically, cities don't shrink," said Brian Bernardoni, director of government affairs for the Chicago Association of Realtors. "What does shrink is productivity, jobs and job opportunity, tax bases and population." The Chicago Association of Realtors' seminar that looked at the concept of "shrinking cities" (places with sustained population loss and spiking levels of blight and abandoned properties) found recent developments like Oakwood Shores and Park Boulevard, and potential future megaprojects such as plans to convert the old South Works steel mill site to a mixed-use city within a city or McPier's McCormick-area arena and hotel proposal, may protect us from the unflattering moniker.
According to Medill's recap, "of all North American cities with a million people, Chicago recorded the greatest population loss in the last census," but the city officials, urban planners, and developers at the event – including Ald. Ameya Pawar (47th); Scott Freres of The Lakota Group; Joe Williams of Granite Companies, Myer Blank of True Partners Consulting; and DePaul professor Joe Schwieterman – seem to hold a hardy optimism.
·South Side developments could prevent Chicago from "shrinking" [Medill Reports]
·City Promotes bundled $1.1B Investment in McCormick Area, Navy Pier [Curbed Chicago]
·South Works [Curbed Chicago]
·Oakwood Shores [Curbed Chicago]
·Park Boulevard [Curbed Chicago]
—Gwendolyn Purdom
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