tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6337493758769155762012-01-28T15:44:22.688-06:00No single thing can make a neighborhood stronger and healthier. Effective community development – comprehensive development – takes many hundreds of things, and many people and organizations.Patrick Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109856160393980550noreply@blogger.comBlogger1821100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-41385173080919584642010-10-08T08:54:00.004-05:002010-10-08T09:06:06.447-05:00

The three Southwest neighborhoods in Chicago's Smart Communities program launched their portals yesterday, creating a wide new avenue for interaction among residents, businesses and organizations.They are works in progress, with some empty spaces yet to fill, but already the portals offer new stories and photos highlighting activities not easily found elsewhere on the web.Check them out:Auburn

Patrick Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109856160393980550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-66254644771794840812010-10-01T09:13:00.002-05:002010-10-01T09:19:25.053-05:00

Syndicated state and local government columnist Neal Peirce's recent summary of Mayor Daley's legacy on the Citistates site will seem fawning to Daley's critics. There is only a brief mention at the end about patronage and corruption, and no mention at all about the privatization controversies that have plagued the latter part of the mayor's tenure, most particularly the parking meter fiasco.

Ed Finkelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01520960177735872978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-56594205344102567992010-08-26T15:45:00.003-05:002010-08-26T15:57:48.145-05:00

It's still a work in progress, according to the team that made it happen, but the Humboldt Park Portal, a day after its "soft" launch, looks pretty good to me. It features a nice selection of stories from various contributors and organizations, a packed calendar (Movies in the Park, Jens Jensen birthday bus tour, CeaseFire Late Night Run), and plenty of photos, directory listings and links to

Patrick Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109856160393980550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-15626822559085682192010-07-12T10:54:00.003-05:002010-07-12T11:11:37.711-05:00

We've written here before about how neighborhoods are using multimedia tools to promote their work and their neighborhoods, but couldn't have imagined, even six months ago, how far the groups would come, and how fast.Audio slideshows are now available for 10 neighborhoods as part of the Chicago Community Showcase project, funded by the 2016 Fund for Chicago Neighborhoods and Boeing Company. The

Patrick Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109856160393980550noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-48677784366289772772010-06-21T14:10:00.006-05:002010-06-21T14:30:36.781-05:00

Southwest Organizing Project (SWOP) is "naming names" of banks that are foreclosing on properties on Chicago's Southwest Side, where 7,300 foreclosures have been filed over two years in four area ZIP Codes. The bank names are prominently featured on yard signs that say "Deutsch Bank (or Citibank or JP Morgan Chase or Bank of America) failed this neighborhood through foreclosures."First Business

Patrick Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109856160393980550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-74089451926955049812010-06-16T09:39:00.008-05:002010-06-21T14:31:30.984-05:00

Very impressive!The music video below looks like something from a record-label's studio, but it was created and produced by 12 students at Crane Tech Prep High School in Chicago's West Haven neighborhood. The project was a joint effort between the students; their teacher "Gravity," owner of OOO Multimedium; After School Matters; and the Near West Side Community Development Corp."The idea was to

Patrick Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109856160393980550noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-51312006161204037382010-04-28T14:17:00.005-05:002010-04-28T14:53:56.976-05:00

Lots of communities and individuals talk about "being green," but few can show as much actual green activity as the former steel mill community of South Chicago, which in May will host 80 green-oriented events from habitat restoration and urban farming to tours, youth programs, cycling events and health activities. It's a structured month-long calendar put together by community organizations

Patrick Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109856160393980550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-49931566871455187762010-04-02T10:01:00.007-05:002010-04-02T18:57:45.621-05:00

(Rendering of proposed building at 3230 W. Armitage Ave., from the Zapata Apartments web site)The Zapata Apartments development, three buildings with 66 affordable residential units and ground-floor commercial space, seems to a lot of people like a very good idea. Filling vacant spaces on and near Armitage Avenue and providing a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, the Zapata project

Patrick Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109856160393980550noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-7490567899390449812010-03-26T12:44:00.006-05:002010-03-26T13:14:07.154-05:00

Leaders in Humboldt Park are serious about bringing a digital culture to their community.One of five designated "Smart Communities" in Chicago – neighborhoods that just yesterday were awarded a $7 million federal grant for broadband adoption – Humboldt Park put together the video below to pitch for another special project, the Google Fiber initiative that will bring ultra-fast internet speeds to

Patrick Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109856160393980550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-90253840512286278952010-03-25T16:22:00.003-05:002010-03-25T16:39:49.444-05:00

Little Village is serious about capturing all the public money it can. With a series of interviews of local leaders, it makes the case to residents that every person counted will make a big difference in how much money is allocated locally -- the equivalent over 10 years of another top-notch facility like Little Village Lawndale High School.The leaders repeatedly stress that Census data is

Patrick Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109856160393980550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-38945282428013718712010-03-01T11:33:00.003-06:002010-03-01T12:01:20.979-06:00

How does comprehensive community development actually get done? What's involved and how long does it take? How do politics, funding, and local rivalries factor in?Those questions and others will be the focus of a new web site launched Friday by the Institute for Comprehensive Community Development. A brand-new venture of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, the Institute is targeted to

Patrick Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109856160393980550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-44111947299590684552010-01-28T11:20:00.004-06:002010-01-28T11:55:39.252-06:00

In last night's State of the Union address, President Barack Obama pledged $30 billion in Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) funds to community banks for small business loans. Chicago is ahead of the curve on this one, to a smaller tune. Last November, City Treasurer Stephanie Neely announced the city would devote $5 million of Skyway lease funds to a loan fund for microenterprises--business

Maureen Kelleherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919817829347660556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-36994985935739814222010-01-21T17:18:00.004-06:002010-01-22T14:23:41.099-06:00

Catalyst Chicago just published a great set of stories on how Chicago might extend its abysmally short school day and year. The lead story shows how Marquette Elementary extended the day for its middle school students by one hour with money from Elev8.To add real time to the system would require a generous infusion of cash. District officials and local nonprofits like the Academy for Urban

Maureen Kelleherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919817829347660556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-67213915662524415642010-01-13T08:42:00.003-06:002010-01-14T03:29:53.141-06:00

A couple of recent news items from the Chicago Public schools related to stimulus spending have caught my attention. First, today's hot CPS story is the announcement of details about the district's $30 million, stimulus-funded plan to reduce youth violence. WBEZ's Linda Lutton did a good overall piece on it, which you can read or listen to here. Back in September when the plan was first announced

Maureen Kelleherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919817829347660556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-8870264035838346332009-12-23T01:07:00.010-06:002009-12-23T15:05:37.210-06:00

I've been on this Earth and around this town long enough that virulent sourness about what sounds to my ears like positive lifting up of poor people and communities of color rarely surprises me too much. Even so, I had a hard time swallowing the anger expressed in many of the comments following the Chicago Tribune's article about Mayor Daley's Dec. 21 announcement about the city's attempt to seek

Ed Finkelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01520960177735872978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-91634260532249152142009-12-22T12:40:00.003-06:002009-12-22T12:49:31.276-06:00

I've blogged here before about the idea of community science workshops where neighborhood kids and families could go mess around, build rockets, and so forth. Earlier today my friend Gabrielle Lyon took the idea a few steps farther in an op-ed piece on the Huffington Post. Gabe is the co-founder of Project Exploration, which expands access to science byconnecting minority youth and girls with

Maureen Kelleherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919817829347660556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-6147207856771863342009-11-24T16:16:00.002-06:002009-11-24T17:01:03.940-06:00

I thought these unrelated links would be of some interest to the Community Beat community:* National syndicated columnist Neal Peirce of Washington Post Writers Group covered innovative methods to combat youth violence, with a nod toward Chicago's CeaseFire program. http://citiwire.net/post/1480/* The MacArthur Foundation has posted a video of Adolfo Carrion, urban affairs director for the Obama

Ed Finkelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01520960177735872978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-830362403395876962009-10-19T09:29:00.004-05:002009-10-19T13:10:32.617-05:00

Tomorrow afternoon, Trib columnist Clarence Page will visit Marquette Elementary to talk with middle schoolers about the news business and why news is important. About 150 6th-graders have been gearing up for the visit by studying a curriculum developed by the News Literacy Project. Last week Chicago coordinator Peter Adams told me about one of their activities--exploring the "information

Maureen Kelleherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919817829347660556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-89571806545824524322009-10-02T12:14:00.006-05:002009-10-02T22:33:54.919-05:00

Well, Chicagoans, by now you know we didn't get the bid. But take heart, we've made a splash on the world stage and we're still a great city to come and visit, or to be a tourist in your own town. Mark you calendars for October 10, when the Burnham Plan Centennial will sponsor a new round of community showcase tours.Our friend Mandy Burrell Booth at Metropolitan Planning Commission put it well,

Maureen Kelleherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919817829347660556noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-29278991105012297212009-09-07T21:21:00.003-05:002009-09-07T21:35:09.252-05:00

In case you missed it, LISC/Chicago was featured in a September 1 WBEZ story about "retail leakage" on Chicago's South Side. YOu can check it out here. The lack of retail on the South Side is a well-known phenomenon; what isn't so well-known--and what LISC regularly points out--is that South Side and other city low-income communities have more spending power than suburbs full of retailers.The

Maureen Kelleherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919817829347660556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-17759545706215980842009-08-10T15:43:00.003-05:002009-08-10T16:15:54.698-05:00

The voting has just begun for the "What Makes Your Place Great" contest that Mike Quinlan alerted us to in an earlier post, but the winner – or rather a category of winners – is already clear from the 40 entries in the photo-and-essay contest. It's gardens, and I don't mean formal places like Millennium Park or any of the other very nice park spaces that people nominated.The "great places" that

Patrick Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109856160393980550noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-27907070554900179872009-08-06T13:32:00.002-05:002009-08-06T13:35:29.081-05:00

There was a nice clip on CLTV recently featuring Growing Home's urban farm at 58th and Wood St. Check it out: 

Maureen Kelleherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919817829347660556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-24222767461770005422009-08-04T15:42:00.004-05:002009-08-05T11:35:17.018-05:00

If you, like me, missed Open Streets last Saturday, you might still want to take your shot at winning a free bicycle. Bicycling Magazine will be giving away free bikes on August 14. To enter the contest, all you have to do is submit a very short essay about how a new bike could change your life. You can submit your essay here. Bicycling's Lois Moss sent a message today saying she had gathered a

Maureen Kelleherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919817829347660556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-42636420489387669622009-07-28T08:54:00.003-05:002009-07-28T09:12:16.350-05:00

While B-Ball on the Block is taking Little Village by storm, Back of the Yards is also getting in on the basketball action. Over at the Neighborhood Sports Chicago web site, Cristobal Martinez has a report with photos from last Friday night's action at 48th and Marshfield. This is the first year Back of the Yards has had a full-scale Hoops in the Hood Friday night basketball league with food, fun

Maureen Kelleherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919817829347660556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-89902926226208756122009-07-25T20:44:00.008-05:002009-07-25T21:33:50.080-05:00

Got an email from Cesar Nuñez this morning turning me on to a $500 fundraising challenge for Beyond the Ball, the group that's using basketball and soccer to bring youth onto the streets on Friday evenings in Little Village and North Lawndale. BBall on the Block has been going for three years now and it's great to see that they're still innovating – adding soccer, for instance – and that they've

Patrick Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109856160393980550noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-67795470630600050942009-07-22T08:36:00.005-05:002009-07-22T10:27:47.005-05:00

Mayor Daley was in Pilsen yesterday promoting "digital excellence," but what does that mean? The hope is that in the four demonstration communities of Pilsen, Englewood, Chicago Lawn and Auburn Gresham, use of digital tools and the internet will become commonplace for residents young and old, well-off and poor. It won't be easy because so many residents lack broadband access and don't have

Patrick Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109856160393980550noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-452775456562563742009-07-20T00:41:00.005-05:002009-07-20T08:15:31.936-05:00

I just love the idea of urban farming. I can't think of a better way to use our city's empty lots than to plant gardens in them. Chad Bliss and his crew teach teens about farming, sustainable agriculture and healthy living, all while giving them that needed summer job. What's not to love?Produced by Tu Multimedia.

Sarahmaria Gomezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10656496594521161530noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-32182429216106158452009-07-14T11:49:00.007-05:002009-07-15T22:31:53.668-05:00

Placemaking Chicago is having a neat little contest for the best photo/250 word essay on what makes your place great. I love little contests like this and want to encourage other entrants. For more info, click here. Here was our submittal:West Haven is a proud community on the Near West Side. Over the summer a group of students from Crane High School are working to restore our community garden.

Mike Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18059374471377550048noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-87118803026415125642009-07-09T19:44:00.007-05:002009-07-09T20:53:21.177-05:00

There's a price war going among the hair salons and barber shops on Clark Street in Rogers Park, and that's bad news for Alicia, the woman who's been cutting my hair for the last 10 years.When I stopped in at La Bella Unisex today, she got right to the point. Business is bad. It's not just that people have lost jobs and are pinching pennies; it's the price competition. The place right next door

Patrick Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109856160393980550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-36518490224984231832009-07-08T13:40:00.003-05:002009-07-08T13:57:41.742-05:00

As usual, the Chicago Public Schools is holding public meetings on an important topic with no advance warning. This week, 11 meetings are being held in neighborhoods around the city regarding proposed new schools that would be part of Renaissance 2010, the mayor's initiative to create 100 new schools. Whatever you think about this initiative, which has sparked plenty of controversy, if your

Maureen Kelleherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919817829347660556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-1941085099450848382009-06-30T20:22:00.006-05:002009-07-06T22:09:02.751-05:00

Remember Sunday Parkways, that experiment last fall that closed down Chicago boulevards to cars and opened them up to thousands of cyclists, pedestrians and skaters? It's back. Renamed Open Streets, it will take place this year on Saturday, August 1, across 7.5 miles of wide-open roads through five communities: Logan Square, Humboldt Park, East Garfield Park, North Lawndale and Little

Patrick Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109856160393980550noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-63195793284094180762009-06-26T20:27:00.005-05:002009-06-26T21:16:59.522-05:00

News came through today that Wanda White Gills, a longtime contributor to the improvement of Chicago communities, has passed away after a long battle with cancer.I had the pleasure of working with Wanda back in the 1980s when she was with the Community Workshop on Economic Development, and was thrilled to work with her again in 2004 and 2005 in Englewood, where she brought 600 different people

Patrick Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109856160393980550noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-69801101883515123382009-06-23T17:46:00.003-05:002009-06-23T21:04:00.415-05:00

One worthwhile area of reporting might be the thinking behind the switch of the cycling and swimming venues between Douglas and Washington Parks. Seems a neighborhood like North Lawndale (Douglas Pk.) could have used pools more than a velodrome. And wha's this talk about "moving" pools to other parks after 2016. How does one "move" a swimming pool?Photo of swimmer at Crane Tech Prep High School

John McCarronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760506971046930829noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-42162946513844913332009-06-22T08:46:00.007-05:002009-06-23T21:04:17.948-05:00

On a Tuesday afternoon, the blair of trumpets and strumming of guitars flood the halls of Cooper Elementary School in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood. It's time for mariachi class led by Victor and Jose Yahvi Pichardo, a father-son team with a wealth of Mexican music experience (Victor's Band, Los Sones de Mexico, was nominated for a Latin Grammy in 2008). The class is held twice a week and any

Sarahmaria Gomezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10656496594521161530noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-24743601468759393822009-06-18T19:27:00.002-05:002009-06-18T20:22:44.292-05:00

Twelve years ago, less than 10 percent of graduates from North Lawndale's Manley High School went on to college. Last Friday, the Chicago Tribune reported that "all but a few" of Manley's 142 graduating seniors had been accepted to college.Much of the credit for this achievement goes to the Umoja Student Development Corporation. Umoja provides pathways for students to learn about college and

Maureen Kelleherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919817829347660556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-32951866292979382662009-06-11T20:55:00.008-05:002009-06-12T20:55:28.155-05:00

How do you convey the excitement and hard work that goes into making neighborhoods stronger?We've tried a lot of different ways over the seven years of the New Communities Program, and probably the closest we've come is in the new video below by Sarahmaria Gomez and Alex Fledderjohn of TuMultimedia.This is the first half of a longer piece they created as a "thank you" tribute to Jonathan Fanton,

Patrick Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109856160393980550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-80454775195419132392009-06-09T21:54:00.006-05:002009-06-23T21:04:44.366-05:00

Yesterday's Chicago Sun-Times reported that eight students from The School of Social Justice, one of four small schools within Little Village Lawndale High School, had been awarded full four-year scholarships worth $80,000 to Roosevelt University. Channing Reddit, singing a duet in the photo above as part of a play honoring Black History Month, was among them. Channing, an accomplished singer and

Maureen Kelleherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919817829347660556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-27437349007875315022009-06-04T20:11:00.007-05:002009-06-04T23:01:59.213-05:00

Community Beat got some good press today from Mike Doyle at ChicagoSphere, the new blog-about-blogs at the Trib's just-launched Chicago Now web site. "Community Beat has covered topics you might not find on other community news sites or local blogs," Doyle said, calling it a "great effort." Well, thanks.Doyle then offers a spirited defense of citizen journalism, which I had "rejected" as "

Patrick Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109856160393980550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-28929262731239647692009-06-03T19:30:00.005-05:002009-06-03T19:41:56.677-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, we presented four audio "tours" by seniors at Curie Metro High School, each providing a peek into special places that those students shared with their listeners. Here are five more. Tell us what you think. The Cleanest Neighbor in the World We spy on Ana Romero's neighbor, who never stops sweepingKing PlazaAngela Griden provides a tour of Martin Luther King Plaza on the

Patrick Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109856160393980550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-49539332019279465182009-06-01T11:17:00.010-05:002009-06-01T15:55:57.051-05:00

“We’ve been training for months to run the 5K,” said Armando Rodriguez, an eighth grader at Orozco Community Academy in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood. “Today our training is getting put to the test.”On Saturday, no less than 1,000 athletes and spectators of all ages shrugged off the drizzly weather to participate in the 19th Annual Alivio Y Salud Run for Health in Pilsen. The 5K Run, 5K Kids Run

Sarahmaria Gomezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10656496594521161530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-62284307641346425512009-05-27T11:23:00.007-05:002009-05-27T12:09:00.718-05:00

I've heard a lot over the years about how CeaseFire uses its street networks to mount rapid responses to violence to help minimize or even prevent further incidents and retaliations. Below is a close-up look at how it actually gets done.This is an excerpt from an email sent today by Michael Rodríguez, the violence prevention director at Enlace Chicago (formerly Little Village Community

Patrick Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109856160393980550noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-56006709998964262122009-05-22T20:26:00.013-05:002009-05-23T00:04:21.434-05:00

First impressions, arriving in 2,700-year-old Naples in southern Italy, are of a worn-out and poor city where most vertical surfaces, including trains and ancient buildings, are covered with graffiti.But those were only first impressions.Turns out this tightly packed metropolis of three million people, while struggling mightily with unemployment, bureaucracy and a long relationship with the Mob,

Patrick Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109856160393980550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-40838655305615866572009-05-20T19:52:00.005-05:002009-05-20T20:36:14.773-05:00

There's hope for the journalism business, I'd say, after listening to the latest work of seniors in the Curie Youth Radio class at Curie Metro High School on the Southwest Side. Teacher Sarah Levine asked students to find and describe something interesting in their neighborhoods. After lots of editing and re-recording, they delivered unique and compelling pieces.Here are the first four. Turn up

Patrick Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109856160393980550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-16882999880273184902009-05-20T11:55:00.008-05:002009-05-20T13:16:25.057-05:00

It seemed like a good idea, that neighborhood groups should get involved in the Burnham Centennial's Bold Plans Big Dreams program and put on tours of their often-unseen communities.And it was. On Saturday, May 16, six neighborhoods led sold-out bus and walking tours in South Chicago, Bronzeville, Pilsen, Albany Park, Auburn Gresham and West Ridge. Reports are flowing in and it appears that both

Patrick Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109856160393980550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-15212455648804152009-05-13T16:06:00.005-05:002009-05-13T17:43:04.981-05:00

When Kamilyn Baskerville (second from left) came back to Chicago after living in Tennessee, she thought she'd have no problem getting a job. She had military experience, good grades in school and skills. Yet it turned out finding work wasn't as easy as she expected. A single mother, she and her three children stayed with her mother while she hunted for a job. After a while, the welcome mat wore

Maureen Kelleherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919817829347660556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-76178421999385258682009-05-06T21:23:00.007-05:002009-05-06T22:04:57.525-05:00

On the same day that Little Village residents engaged in a planning charrette to flesh out ideas for a new park on the Washburne Trade School site, more than 50 others were implementing a shorter-term solution: planting and sprucing up four "pocket parks" on and around 26th Street. (Slideshow below.)Christina Bronsing, health manager for Enlace Chicago, said local youth, residents and students

Patrick Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109856160393980550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-64179963942681630242009-05-03T21:56:00.014-05:002009-05-05T09:36:07.076-05:00

Photo by Alex Fledderjohn.West Town Bikes has found a new home at 2459 W. Division, just west of Western at the eastern end of Paseo Boricua. Hundreds of urban bikers, youth and residents of West Town and Humboldt Park turned out on Friday night to celebrate the grand opening of the new space, which will house a retail store as well as more space for West Town's well-known workshops in bike

Maureen Kelleherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919817829347660556noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-9985844203752925292009-05-02T20:20:00.010-05:002009-05-04T12:14:19.201-05:00

I spent a couple of hours in Pilsen this afternoon sampling the tasty treats at Mole de Mayo, where some of Chicago's finest Mexican restaurants vied for the titles of "Best Mole" and "People's Choice." Above, Hector Marcial, executive chef of Mundial Cocina Mestiza, located about half a block east of Paulina on 18th Street, was dishing up a sample of three kinds of mole: the classic mole poblano

Maureen Kelleherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919817829347660556noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-81265236243139094692009-04-30T08:22:00.002-05:002009-04-30T08:49:04.553-05:00

On the surface, it seems like schools and communities ought to be natural partners. Neighborhood schools are filled with kids who walk just a few blocks every day, often escorted by their parents. They are big public spaces, often next to parks that are filled with locals at night and on the weekends. Yet schools constantly say they don't see their parents enough, and neighborhood folks say

Maureen Kelleherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919817829347660556noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-7173856633639826692009-04-29T20:49:00.011-05:002009-04-29T23:21:30.927-05:00

It's been holding the corner of 31st and Kedzie since 1910, a whale of a building and a nice-looking one, too. The prairie-style factory was designed for Liquid Carbonic by Nimmons and Fellows, the same architects as the original Sears Tower in North Lawndale.It became, of course, the fabled Washburne Trade School, which trained tens of thousands for good jobs in a powerful industrial city, with

Patrick Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109856160393980550noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-64170820948155700332009-04-29T16:54:00.003-05:002009-04-29T17:04:03.500-05:00

Despite the stalled economy, plans are afoot to transform the former site of U.S. Steel into a thriving, eco-friendly neighborhood. My friend and former colleague Mick Dumke has a post up over at Clout City with great photos of the site. They include some shots of the mighty ore walls that once stored the raw materials for steel through the winter, when the lake froze and ships couldn't bring new

Maureen Kelleherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919817829347660556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-53382496631037742352009-04-27T15:52:00.006-05:002009-04-27T17:06:46.824-05:00

Vice President Joe Biden was in town today at the UIC's fifth annual Richard J. Daley Urban Forum, to talk about how the economic stimulus package will benefit cities. "All of you have the most difficult job in government," he told the couple dozen or so mayors and municipal leaders from five continents, who had just finished a global town hall describing the challenges they are facing and

Maureen Kelleherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919817829347660556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-82300975985544483722009-04-23T21:37:00.009-05:002009-04-23T22:47:21.517-05:00

When a school system has 600 schools and 400,000 students, you don't have time to make changes one kid at a time. You need programs that scale, whether that's the recent Spring Into Sports that attracted 800 kids a day to four schools during Spring Break, or the Family Science Nights that result from trainings by the Museum of Science of Industry.My wife Pam came home from Stockton School in

Patrick Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109856160393980550noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-29703234282975726562009-04-16T16:37:00.003-05:002009-04-16T17:09:28.676-05:00

The just-published spring issue of Chicago Wilderness Magazine is devoted to an exploration of the Calumet region, the bottom of Lake Michigan. The Calumet region stretches from South Chicago all the way to Mt. Baldy, a migrating sand dune just west of Michigan City, Indiana.It fascinates me that the same region where you can find 24 different species of orchids--compared to just four in Hawaii--

Maureen Kelleherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919817829347660556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-43559201023211461392009-04-15T21:12:00.008-05:002009-04-15T22:09:48.348-05:00

The Tribune ran a nice story by Jon Davis this morning about Spring Into Sports, noting that the program kept 1,500 students busy – and out of trouble – during spring break.But you can't please everyone. Earnest Gates, one of the event's organizers and executive director of the Near West Side Community Development Corporation, thought Davis missed the bigger point: that the finals took place at

Patrick Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109856160393980550noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-44329106714419622342009-04-13T11:21:00.003-05:002009-04-13T11:33:03.318-05:00

It's an old adage because it's true: a good photo is worth even more than a thousand words because it can deliver emotions and color that writers just can't manage. So I'm thrilled that we were able to implement a photo-centric approach to covering the Spring Into Sports events last week. We wrote some decent stories, too, but it's the work of photographers Alex Fledderjohn, Juan Francisco

Patrick Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109856160393980550noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-72568326080226371082009-04-08T10:14:00.003-05:002009-04-08T10:25:16.740-05:00

If it's looking like "all sports, all the time" on this blog lately that's only because I've been contributing to a flat-out effort by LISC/Chicago and its neighborhood partners to attract youth to Spring Into Sports activities at four high schools.And it's working.More than 1,270 students have registered and they're filling the gyms and hallways every day. What's startling about it is how much

Patrick Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109856160393980550noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-9524517180394588902009-04-08T09:59:00.007-05:002009-04-08T19:08:12.753-05:00

Last Saturday, Farragut High School in Little Village achieved another milestone in its slow evolution from a school of last resort to a true community resource. The school played host to the second annual Little Village Youth Forum: Building Community, Fighting Violence. Between 75 and 100 current Farragut students and graduates served as volunteers at the event; many had been involved in the

Maureen Kelleherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919817829347660556noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-23438404787478702452009-04-06T22:29:00.008-05:002009-04-06T23:38:25.241-05:00

In the news biz you listen for "good quotes." During the first days of Spring Into Sports, the drop-in-for-fun-and-competition festival going on during spring break in four violence-prone neighborhoods, I've been getting an earful."They feel like superstars." That was longtime activist Jenice Sanders at Englewood High School after Sunday's opening ceremony, with 200 in the stands, that featured

Patrick Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109856160393980550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-72409145422896255482009-04-02T12:30:00.006-05:002009-04-04T12:38:29.225-05:00

While we're on the topic of being a tourist in your own town, it's a good time to give a little preview of some great upcoming audio work from our friends at Curie Youth Radio. The young writer/producers over there have taken on what you might call a commissioned assignment--Patrick and I asked if they would be interested in doing pieces on some of their favorite places in Chicago.The work isn't

Maureen Kelleherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919817829347660556noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-67365857466222872352009-04-01T11:15:00.007-05:002009-04-01T12:06:46.499-05:00

Six real-life neighborhoods will be on display May 16 during the Great Chicago Places and Spaces Festival, which is branching out this year to feature more than the usual tours of central-city architecture and hotspots. As part of the Burnham Plan Centennial, tour buses will be heading to Bronzeville, South Chicago, Auburn Gresham, Pilsen, Albany Park and the Indian shopping strip on Devon Avenue

Patrick Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109856160393980550noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-75837740026170083912009-03-30T11:18:00.018-05:002009-03-30T19:33:53.608-05:00

FDIC Chairman Sheila Bair, who has emerged as a national hero in the fight against foreclosures and predatory lending, was in Chicago last week (3/26) to speak at the annual awards dinner of Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago.Wasn't she?You're excused, dear reader, for not knowing, because there was zero (none, nada, zilch, butkas) coverage in the local daily prints.Thank you, Bob Roberts

John McCarronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12760506971046930829noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-45878638878494690872009-03-27T12:37:00.009-05:002009-03-31T11:33:35.151-05:00

A lot of community agencies and sports programs have been working flat out preparing for Spring Into Sports, which runs April 4 to 11 at four Chicago high schools (Crane, Little Village Lawndale, Englewood and Orr). Learn more at Neighborhood Sports Chicago, but first, take five minutes to view this video fresh from the smoking-hot computers of Sarahmaria Gomez and Alex Fledderjohn of

Patrick Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109856160393980550noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-63118277297677485472009-03-27T12:03:00.018-05:002009-03-30T09:55:40.891-05:00

Through his advice column in the Chicago Defender, Art Sims, aka Chat Daddy, has helped thousands of Chicagoans solve their health, self-esteem, and relationship problems for 14 years. I learned recently that Art has also taken on the task of giving young people the skills to deal with problems before they need to write "Dear Chat Daddy."Art has been working at South Central Community Services,

Hughnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-15143562664589081832009-03-25T20:38:00.009-05:002009-03-25T22:43:15.424-05:00

A long-abandoned rail viaduct in Englewood is getting some serious attention as another link in Chicago's growing network of biking and hiking trails. The elevated rail line runs east and west a half-block south of 59th Street, between Wallace and Hoyne Avenues. That's almost two miles of traffic-free passage that runs past Hermitage Park and the Growing Home urban farm, with three other parks

Patrick Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109856160393980550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-72323223991876589362009-03-21T17:43:00.015-05:002009-03-24T10:30:03.233-05:00

The evolution of a commercial district is usually a subtle, slow-moving thing. You have to watch for clues as buildings lose tenants or gain them over a period of decades, which is what I've been doing for many years on long walks through Rogers Park and Edgewater.What I'm seeing lately is a long-dormant strip of Clark Street, between Bryn Mawr and Devon, coming back to life.It's been a good

Patrick Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109856160393980550noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-53790861522897903272009-03-17T18:34:00.003-05:002009-03-17T18:47:04.300-05:00

With a great sigh of relief, the first editions of Near West’s retail publication West Haven Now went out the door today. Here are some lessons learned through the process, for anyone looking to strut their own commercial districts.1. Borrow from the best. Find best practices and precedents from across the country, and then mold them to fit your district’s needs. Here’s an international list of

Mike Quinlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18059374471377550048noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-71435489857729769202009-03-12T20:15:00.006-05:002009-03-12T22:10:31.332-05:00

It's not often that one gets to comment on mixed-income neighborhoods and the future of journalism in the same breath, but this is one of those days so I'm taking advantage of it.One of the final editions of the News-Star newspaper came through my Rogers Park mail slot today and I got a big kick out of the story about the Aldi grocery chain trying to "sneak one of its stores" into a new

Patrick Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109856160393980550noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-12105010076980996482009-03-04T18:32:00.008-06:002009-03-05T10:57:50.567-06:00

Attracting tourists is one of the oldest money-making schemes in the world, but urban neighborhoods haven't often invested the resources to attract visitors and then roll out the red carpet when they arrive. But that's changing."The time has come for us to toot our own horn, to tell people that we have a lot to offer," said The Resurrection Project's Álvaro Obregón at a panel discussion yesterday

Patrick Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109856160393980550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-62988151814781940582009-03-03T09:55:00.004-06:002009-03-03T10:10:05.454-06:00

Darn it! If you're going to set a deadline for something, and then go public with your plan as I did in an earlier post, it's nice to actually meet the deadline. Which I did not.Even so, the new web site for Neighborhood Sports Chicago went live this morning, just one day behind schedule.The site already includes a whole lot of information on how organizations are using sports for youth

Patrick Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109856160393980550noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-18657426934256124252009-02-26T20:39:00.003-06:002009-02-26T21:06:03.640-06:00

Jobs are scarce, but they do exist.There are plenty of interesting positions posted on npo.net, but what's interesting to me is how jobs in certain types of work, or certain neighborhoods, are being advertised via niche web sites.The Greater Humboldt Park Community of Wellness is spreading the word about open positions for a bike shop manager, a couple of research jobs and a community liaison

Patrick Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109856160393980550noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-23646732832920116312009-02-20T22:28:00.010-06:002009-02-22T21:53:38.949-06:00

With Spring into Sports just six weeks away and dozens of neighborhood organizations and school programs mobilizing youth to participate, a solid communications platform is a must.That means a web site, of course, to provide background on participating organizations, contact info, videos about neighborhood sports and fitness programs, a calendar of events, plenty of photos and, as the April 4-11

Patrick Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109856160393980550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-75152857143094332242009-02-19T21:10:00.003-06:002009-02-19T21:35:33.847-06:00

One of the secrets to getting media coverage of your work, whatever it might be, is 1) to know which reporters work that beat and 2) keep track of what they're covering, so that when your story is ready, you'll know how to pitch it in a way that will interest that reporter.The other secret is to know that writers (and editors) always need ideas and stories, to fill their news hole.So you might

Patrick Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109856160393980550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-89275712788698627342009-02-17T22:40:00.004-06:002009-02-17T23:22:21.804-06:00

A lot of neighborhoods talk about creating a "circulator" transit service that brings people from their homes or workplaces into the shopping district. South Chicago Chamber of Commerce has done it.Every day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (with a break from 2:30 to 3:30), one of those buses-that-look-like-trollies runs a route in the old Steel City from 106th and Torrence up to 83rd Street via the

Patrick Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109856160393980550noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-69050036407356015352009-02-16T11:03:00.005-06:002009-02-16T11:43:20.393-06:00

I've been a skeptic for years about social networking sites as tools for getting actual work done. I've peeked into MySpace and Facebook to see what all the excitement is about, but I just haven't seen any value there, at least for my work in community development and communications.But I'm coming around to sites with tight niches that draw together people with similar interests or expertise. Two

Patrick Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109856160393980550noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-71931171457303510082009-02-13T12:00:00.010-06:002009-02-13T12:57:04.247-06:00

Hold onto your hat if you're a believer in engaging youth in sports as a community-building activity. This spring and summer we'll see the biggest, most organized youth sports effort in recent years, or maybe ever.LISC/Chicago's multi-year commitment to building up youth sports has gotten a big boost via a new grant from the 2016 Fund for Chicago Neighborhoods. Details of the programming are

Patrick Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109856160393980550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-6274586409824907322009-02-11T20:18:00.003-06:002009-02-11T20:49:40.695-06:00

It's indisputable that Chicago newspapers aren't doing the job they once did covering neighborhoods. But we're lucky to have a long tradition of alternative journalism here, from the long-running Chicago Reporter and Community Media Workshop's News Tips to web-only vehicles like the Chi-Town Daily News. In the last couple years we've also seen the emergence of "hyper-local" sites by neighborhood

Patrick Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109856160393980550noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-59284942563897142432009-02-10T09:36:00.004-06:002009-02-10T09:56:56.036-06:00

One quote stuck with me after the Chicago Neighborhood Development Awards were given out last night to honor some very impressive projects, organizations and people. It came from Marca Bristo, the longtime president of Access Living, a cross-disability organization governed and staffed by a majority of people with disabilities.Access Living's new headquarters at 115 W. Chicago Avenue, designed by

Patrick Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109856160393980550noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-25624955309894268802009-02-08T21:13:00.003-06:002009-02-08T21:51:46.680-06:00

The Tribune reported Friday that Wal-Mart is back at it, trying to get approval for stores in inner-city Chicago neighborhoods against resistance from unions, the City Council and others who fear the colossus will hurt small businesses and undercut wages at Chicago's other chain grocers.Wal-Mart's argument is that bringing new stores to "food deserts," such as Englewood or the West Side, will

Patrick Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109856160393980550noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-90088596142030156152009-02-04T20:43:00.006-06:002009-02-05T17:41:05.858-06:00

View Larger MapIf there were a prize for Innovative Use of Web Tools by Community Organizations, I'd have to nominate Michael Quinlan of Near West Side Community Development Corp., who is an aggressive user of embedded videos, slide shows and photos to spread information about the West Haven neighborhood.Now he's gone and placed the area's attractions on a Google "My Map," which is a remarkably

Patrick Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109856160393980550noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-31133723586987401142009-02-04T20:37:00.005-06:002009-02-04T21:14:18.234-06:00

Foreclosures, unemployment and a weak economy are wreaking havoc in neighborhoods and families across the country. What can neighborhood organizations do while under economic siege?Here are a few ideas:• Organize! Fight crime, tutor students, improve parks, and protect neighborhoods against the threats that come with tough times.• Communicate. Educate and inform residents, public officials

Joel Bookmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11847272730951387213noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-59689706415259954752009-02-04T16:10:00.002-06:002009-02-04T16:53:46.073-06:00

The many successes of the New Communities Program show what a neighborhood can do once it has a plan and the energy to move it forward.But how do you get to that point? It's a great question in neighborhoods like Back of the Yards, the original home of community organizing thanks to the great Saul Alinsky. Unfortunately, this once-mighty powerhouse of community work has been through tough times

Maureen Kelleherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919817829347660556noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-11301263569689605902009-02-03T11:53:00.008-06:002009-02-03T16:01:42.415-06:00

The 15th Annual Chicago Neighborhood Development Awards takes place next Monday, Feb. 9, and it's bound to have a special frisson this year, for a few reasons:1. Second City will be back for a 3 p.m. performance in which they will make fun of our community development field. I'd be very surprised if they don't take the opportunity to mock our recent political shenanigans, since they've just

Patrick Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109856160393980550noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-70239990430347799372009-01-28T21:24:00.009-06:002009-01-28T21:58:38.696-06:00

What we do in Chicago, in the dark bottom of winter when the snow has been coming for two months solid and the temperature barely nudges 20 degrees, what we do is tell ourselves that the long cold season just makes spring, when it finally comes, all the more glorious.So when I woke this morning and found three inches of fresh white powder on the ground, making everything clean again, I only

Patrick Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109856160393980550noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-12805841436024669762009-01-27T13:55:00.006-06:002009-01-27T15:13:41.055-06:00

Since Amadi pretty much said it all about the inauguration itself, I'll take a different tack on the recent festivities and how they might connect to the neighborhoods back here in Chicago. The picture above is a cellphone shot of Ben's Chili Bowl, an already-famous Washington eatery that experienced the "Check Please" effect on steroids in January, thanks to Barack Obama's visit shortly before

Maureen Kelleherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919817829347660556noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-28129187021724269212009-01-25T22:42:00.014-06:002009-01-26T16:11:17.388-06:00

On January 20, 2009, I had the honor of witnessing a fellow Chicagoan and community enthusiast become the 44th President of the United States (along with about 2 million other people from around the world.) The experience filled me with many emotions. I felt proud of how far this country has come and of the man so many of us have come to admire. I also felt overwhelmed, not only by the mass of

Amadi Jordan-Walkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341899707428935973noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-64639697932447749252009-01-20T08:34:00.005-06:002009-01-20T08:49:35.504-06:00

The Tribune's Dawn Turner Trice writes this morning that the bus trip to Washington by 22 young men from Urban Prep Academies, 6201 S. Stewart in Englewood, is going well. People are "moved by how put-together they are," she reports. We've written a lot here about the need for youth programming and schooling that lets kids rise above the dangers and low expectations of their neighborhoods. It

Patrick Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109856160393980550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-1035375932699703252009-01-14T08:41:00.010-06:002009-01-14T10:11:18.433-06:00

Just in from our colleagues at TuMultimedia, Sarahmaria Gomez and Alex Fledderjohn, here's a powerful video about the massive impact that the foreclosure crisis has brought down on neighborhoods, and how some communities are fighting back with trainings for homeowners as well as political and social activism. It's a nine-minute piece featuring trainers, organizers and people who have fought -- or

Patrick Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109856160393980550noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-194379545846026692009-01-09T14:12:00.006-06:002009-01-09T14:39:04.937-06:00

Curie's not the only place where we're starting a great partnership with young people telling their stories. Over in Little Village, young athletes with Beyond the Ball have already put together a five-minute video showing how their so-called open gym at Little Village/Lawndale High School works. Watch the video and you'll see it's a lot more structured than the typical open gym:Beyond the Ball

Maureen Kelleherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919817829347660556noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-77661940761931636192009-01-08T15:58:00.004-06:002009-01-08T20:58:50.292-06:00

The Community Media Workshop has the best guide in town to Chicago-area outlets: print, online and broadcast. It covers city and suburbs, and news operations from WLS-TV (ABC-7), the most-watched TV station in Chicago, to the North Lawndale Community News. But today I wanted to put it to a really grass-roots test.Today's mission, which I've accepted: find the local papers that might be interested

Maureen Kelleherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919817829347660556noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-76141045255057544692009-01-07T11:59:00.021-06:002009-01-07T19:33:18.214-06:00

We've got an exciting new project brewing with Curie Youth Radio, a group of students at Curie Metro High School at Pulaski and Archer, near Midway Airport. The students in Sarah Levine's classroom have put together some terrific pieces about their own lives and their neighborhoods, and we're going to tap their talents and enthusiasm to create an insider's guide to neighborhood places, people or

Patrick Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109856160393980550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-55447959439307497602009-01-05T23:16:00.005-06:002009-01-06T16:36:22.975-06:00

On December 17, 2008, I attended an event about youth lost to gun violence titled “Remembering Our Children.” I thought I had vision until the many faces of innocence flashed across the screen. I finally saw death at its worst.I can see now that there has been a shift in the value system. The worth of our children has been minimized, from priceless to being priced for the highest bidder. Guns and

Ed Finkelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01520960177735872978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-35994227644895809342009-01-04T19:13:00.007-06:002009-01-04T20:17:43.647-06:00

With millions of web sites covering every imaginable topic, is it a big deal when a few new ones are added to the pile? When the sites cover neighborhoods or community issues – and provide information that isn't available elsewhere – well, yeah, that is very important.So I was excited in late 2008 as new web sites brought visibility and news from four different community-oriented sources.Greater

Patrick Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109856160393980550noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-33782232380501383152008-12-31T11:38:00.005-06:002008-12-31T15:43:24.146-06:00

One of the more frustrating parts of being a South Side Chicagoan is lack of access to recycling. I speak from experience. As a South Sider without a car, it's been impossible for me to get recycling to a drop-off station, and now the city's much-criticized Blue Bag program has been discontinued, with only a handful of neighborhoods involved in the new Blue Cart recycling effort.Things would be

Maureen Kelleherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919817829347660556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-54823029644844550452008-12-16T13:45:00.003-06:002008-12-16T14:08:03.083-06:00

While scientists are celebrating one of their own getting the top spot at the U.S. Department of Energy, folks in Chicago are thinking about how Obama's promise to promote weatherization could benefit neighborhoods.Late last week I spoke with Angela Hurlock of Claretian Associates, who wanted to know how to suggest to Team Obama while they're thinking globally about reducing energy use, they

Maureen Kelleherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919817829347660556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-82502597233540563982008-12-11T19:14:00.003-06:002008-12-11T19:59:49.474-06:00

I'm going to give Colby Luckenbill of Colby Gallery the last word on Pilsen, art and community. In addition to running a gallery of international stature, Colby serves as a community rep on the Cooper Elementary Local School Council. She's been living in Pilsen for five years now.Of her space, she said, "It's more of a salon-style gallery. It encourages civic activity and brainstorming,

Maureen Kelleherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919817829347660556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-44662672605666186192008-12-11T17:33:00.015-06:002008-12-11T20:22:48.829-06:00

Much as Placemaking Chicago likes to stress accessibility being important to making a place, I think lots of us who like to ramble around Chicago want to know the cool hideaways, the spots somewhat off the beaten track.The photo above is from one such hideaway. The Art House Studio in Pilsen is closer to the historic Heart of Italy strip at 24th and Oakley than it is to the bustling gallery scene

Maureen Kelleherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919817829347660556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-80156264205852850802008-12-10T11:48:00.007-06:002008-12-11T08:54:48.869-06:00

Pilsen's Golden Age Gallery, co-owned by Marco Kane Braunschweiler and Martine Syms, showcases experimental music and limited-edition art books. The photo above shows the pair (center and right) with a customer (left) during Pilsen Open Studios. Earlier in the weekend, an entire busload of Northern Illinois University students stopped in on a tour.Golden Age has been open a little more than a

Maureen Kelleherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919817829347660556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-27527176207636399422008-12-09T15:28:00.004-06:002008-12-09T21:14:16.093-06:00

OK, I cheated, sort of. Colibri Gallery is the same place twice, but for a different reason each time. And that's a key part of what placemaking is all about. As Placemaking Chicago puts it, "What makes some places succeed while others fail? In part, it is having a variety of things to do in one spot." Colibri Gallery has taken that idea to heart.On the fourth Saturday of each month, the gallery

Maureen Kelleherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06919817829347660556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-633749375876915576.post-3212158697802305322008-12-08T15:29:00.007-06:002008-12-08T20:32:52.528-06:00

Okay, Maureen Kelleher, if your intent with those Power of Five posts about Pilsen artists was to get us to wonder what you're talking about, it worked.But I'm confused.When I went to placemakingchicago.com, I found out what the idea meant, except that they call it the Power of 10. Twice as good as your version?Whatever the number, it's a terrific concept: that a "place" has to be more than one

Patrick Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12109856160393980550noreply@blogger.com7