Chicago Neighborhoods Research Articles

Birdwatching on Brownfields: Contradictory Contexts and Ambivalence in the Neoliberal City

Background: In the least densely populated residential neighborhood of Chicago, deindustrial brownfields are being repurposed into sites of outdoor recreation and green spaces. This article explores the subjective experience of park development on one of these sites, focusing on how the socioeconomic contexts of the neoliberal city creates complex and ambivalent experiences of green space development. Methods: Data regarding residents' and community leaders' perceptions of park development emerge from digital and in-person participant observation, analysis of Chicago-area newspapers, and two rounds of interviews conducted in 2015–2017 and 2020–2021. Results and Discussion: Due to the continued presence of private-public partnerships and industrial activities on the Southeast Side, I find that park development on the Southeast Side of Chicago produces feelings of ambivalence rather than uninhibited enthusiasm for new parks. I suggest that this ambivalence about deindustrial land uses is characteristic of the neoliberalization of American communities. Given patterns of disinvestment and privatization in deindustrialized cities, certain land use debates summon neither passionate commitment nor vehement resistance simply because they cannot address the accrual of structural problems. Conclusion: Leveraging public–private partnerships to renovate deindustrial landscapes into sites for outdoor recreation nonetheless allows locals to emphasize why certain places near their homes are worth rendering visible once again.

Gentrifiers Evading Stigma: Social Integrationists in the Neighborhood of the Future

Abstract How does the moral calculus of gentrification change for self-conscious newcomers in neighborhoods with a reputation deemed unworthy of preserving? In pointing to a set of practices distinct from “pioneering” accounts of gentrification, Brown-Saracino (2007) identified social preservationists as figures who seek to preserve authentic community and the marginalized old-timers who embody it. Using the deviant case of Bridgeport—a historically White neighborhood in Chicago with a deeply historical and persistent reputation for racism —we examine how self-conscious newcomers orient themselves to the gentrification process when the old-timers are not considered a marginalized group worth protecting, but rather a powerful group with problematic racial views. Whereas Brown-Saracino identified the importance of “selecting the old-timer” among a set of potential representatives of a valorized past, we suggest that in this case, newcomers fight to redefine a neighborhood based on a socially desirable future. Drawing on two distinct sets of ethnographic and interview-based data, we outline how this process has unfolded. We conclude that Bridgeport’s story points to the importance of examining how gentrification ideologies emerge from the collision of personal commitments and neighborhood context, as neighborhood newcomers balance their ethics, concerns over personal reputation, and salient aspects of their new homes, including place reputation.

Discrimination in Context: Examining Neighborhood-Level Variation in the Incidence and Adverse Effects of Perceived Racial and Ethnic Discrimination Among Chicago Youth.

A growing body of research links interpersonal racial and ethnic discrimination to adverse youth outcomes. Yet, studies examining the relevance of neighborhood context for discrimination are sparse. This study examines neighborhood-level variation in the incidence and impact of perceived racial and ethnic discrimination on depressive symptoms, suicidal behavior, violent behavior, and substance use. Hierarchical regression models on a sample of 1333 African American and Hispanic youth (52.44% female; x̄ = 13.03 years, SD = 3.25 at wave 1) residing in 238 Chicago neighborhoods from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods indicated little to no neighborhood-level variation in the incidence and impact of discrimination. Findings suggest that the experience of discrimination among youth of color is ubiquitous.

Sissy Lessons

Sissy Lessons

Neighborhood Change in Chicago and Its Suburbs 1990-2019

This research empirically examines neighborhood change, as measured by change in per capita income, for 335 Chicago neighborhoods and suburbs for the period 1990 to 2019. Its purpose is to examine the factors associated with neighborhood change in a metropolitan region anchored by a shrinking central city. Using Geographically Weighted Regression, this research analyzes the spatially varying impacts of explanatory variables commonly found in the urban resurgence literature such as race, ethnicity, education, and nativity. The results show that the areas experiencing the highest change in per capita income were the northern neighborhoods of Chicago as well certain suburbs on the suburban fringe, Conversely, decline in per capita income occurred in the inner-ring suburbs, particularly those to the south and west of Chicago. The results further show that some minority neighborhoods in Chicago experienced income ascent relative to the rest of the metropolitan area, which challenges the findings of some previous studies and provides insights for community and suburban planners.

Mapping Racial Capital: Gentrification, Race and Value in Three Chicago Neighborhoods

We interrogate the interrelations of race and gentrification in three Chicago neighborhoods of historical significance to Black, Mexican, and Puerto Rican residents. Our previous work indicates that historical legacies of structural racism mean that gentrification works differently in each area, although the extant literature has not directly addressed how race fuels local valuation regimes. For each neighborhood we provide GIS mapping of 30 years of property parcel data and Census block data on race, compared with a parcel level visual scan of material conditions in the built environment. Changes in value at the block level reveal value assigned to whiteness irrespective of material improvement and run counter to standard explanations of gentrification but closely align with a model of racial capitalism. We bridge the gap between qualitative and quantitative research by mapping the everyday life of racial change that is felt and known by residents of color in Chicago.

289 Helpline Services Before, During, and After the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Time Series Analysis

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: This study examined patterns in helpline call data as the COVID-19 pandemic evolved including the impact of stay-at-home orders, relaxing of restrictive orders, and stages of vaccine uptake, as well as differences in call volume by Chicago neighborhood health indicators. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: From November 1, 2018 to June 30, 2021, 56 NAMI-Chicago workers accepted 26,173 helpline calls from 9,374 individuals from 438 zip codes across northeastern Illinois with the majority of calls from high poverty Chicago communities. Descriptive and time series analyses examined patterns in call volume related to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Illinois Stay-at-Home Order, and Illinois reopening and vaccine uptake plan relative to comparable times the prior year. Health indicators from the Chicago Health Atlas (https://chicagohealthatlas.org/) were examined to determine patterns related to NAMI call volume and various health indicators at the zip code level. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Time series analysis indicated the greatest number of calls occurred in 2020; specifically, there was a 212% increase in call volume and 331% increase in repeat callers (three or more calls per caller) during the first and second phase (March 20th to May 28th) of Illinois Stay-at-Home Order from 2019 to 2020. Analysis of the callers primary need indicated NAMI provided resources and referrals to people with unmet basic needs such as housing, food, and access to healthcare during the height of COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020. A series of ANOVAs indicated that individuals from Chicago zip codes with high levels of uninsured rates, poverty rates, households using SNAP benefits, and economic diversity called NAMI significantly more than those with low levels of these health indicators. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Helplines are a much-needed model to assess needs and implement services during public health crises, particularly in communities experiencing economic hardship and stress. Implications for behavioral health service needs both during and following the pandemic will be discussed.

Exodus in the American metropolis: Predicting Black population decline in Chicago neighbourhoods

Urban population decline in the largest metropolitan regions of the United States is now explained almost exclusively by a ‘Black exodus’. In Chicago, competing ‘push’ explanations have been put forth to explain Black population loss in urban neighbourhoods, including housing instability, cost of living, unemployment and crime. However, no study to date estimates the predictive power of each of these factors. This article seeks to answer the research question: which neighbourhood characteristics predict Black exodus in Chicago? We explore relationships between Black population loss in Chicago and a comprehensive range of metrics representing economic and social conditions. A fixed-effects multivariate panel regression is specified for the years 2010 to 2018 at the census tract level and cross-checked with bivariate Granger causality tests. We find that foreclosure filings predict Black population decline, and suggest that government prioritise foreclosure relief policies to stem Black exodus.

The fleeting moment and the long haul in urban panhandling

Sociological writings on panhandling have depicted protracted donor relationships as one of panhandlers’ surest paths to an income, while portraying the fleetingness of one-off appeals as a major barrier. In this article, I recast fleetingness as a facilitator of panhandlers’ fundamental task: trying to seem worthy of aid without attracting unwanted legal attention. Using participant-observation data from a Chicago neighborhood, I outline two favorable elements of fleetingness: it allows panhandlers to evoke sorrowful compassion only for a moment, denying passersby the chance to get stuck in the feeling; and grants passersby only a brief period to evaluate the candor of panhandlers’ appeals. Together, these limit potential givers’ deliberative capacity—their capacity to determine that the panhandlers before them are bothersome, intimidating, deceitful, censurable, or the like. Protracted time horizons still matter, but primarily insofar as panhandlers work continuously, and collectively, to uphold the neighborhood conditions that enable their fleeting appeals.

Collective efficacy and the built environment.

Collective efficacy is a prominent explanation for neighborhood crime concentrations. Just as crime is concentrated in particular neighborhoods, within‐neighborhoods crime is concentrated in particular criminogenic locations. Research suggests criminogenic locations are determined by features of the built environment. This study links collective efficacy with situational opportunity to propose that collective efficacy facilitates the removal of criminogenic features of the built environment. I test this by examining associations 1) between past collective efficacy and present criminogenic features of the built environment, as well as 2) between those built environment features and crime, net of present collective efficacy. These are modeled using piecewise structural equations with generalized linear mixed‐effect regressions on data from 1,641 blocks in 343 Chicago neighborhoods. Four types of police‐reported crime are modeled using eight block‐level built environment features in the 2003 Chicago Community Area Health Study (CCAHS; N = 3,074) and neighborhood collective efficacy from the CCAHS and the 1995 Project in Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN) Community Survey (N = 7,672). Findings suggest neighborhoods with high collective efficacy maintain low rates of crime in part by limiting criminogenic built environment features, in particular, abandoned buildings. This crime control pathway is important because changes to the built environment are long lasting and reduce the need for future interventions against crime.

A Lifestyle Intervention Program to Improve Knowledge and Health Behaviors in Women

ObjectiveTo improve health knowledge, facilitate healthy behaviors, and provide social support for a high-risk population of women by implementing a culturally tailored, gender-specific lifestyle intervention program. DesignEvidence-based practice project. Setting/Local ProblemA Chicago neighborhood in Cook County, Illinois, where there are increased rates of diabetes, heart disease, cancer, stroke, hypertension, obesity, preterm birth, and violent crime. ParticipantsFemale residents of the community, ages 19 to 45 years; 12 participants registered for the program, and 11 participants completed the entire 2-month program. Interventions/MeasurementsThe BE WISE Lifestyle Intervention, a culturally tailored, gender-specific behavior change curriculum, was used for this project. An interprofessional team was used to enhance participant experience, and neighborhood collaborations were established to create sustainability of efforts. Pre- and postintervention measures of diet, physical activity, social support, and knowledge acquisition were used to evaluate outcomes. ResultsImprovement was noted for knowledge in most of the content areas, as well as for dietary and physical activity behaviors. All participants rated the program highly and responded positively to the social support experienced in the group. ConclusionCulturally tailored lifestyle interventions can be effective in improving knowledge and encouraging behavior change, especially when delivered in group settings to enhance social support. Community-level collaborations enhance interventions by providing local support and resources for participants. Because behavior change takes time, follow-up at the 6-month and 1-year intervals is recommended to determine longer-term outcomes.

Does health service funding go where the need is? A prototype spatial access analysis for new urban contracts data

BackgroundMuch of spatial access research measures the proximity to health service locations. We advance this research by focusing on whether health service funding is within walkable reach of neighborhoods with high hardship. This is made possible by a new administrative data source: financial contracts data for those human services that are delivered by nonprofits under contract with the government.MethodsIn a prototypical spatial access study we apply a classic 2-step floating area catchment model for walkable network access to analyze 2018 data about contracted nonprofit health services funded by the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH). CDPH collected the data for the purpose of this study.ResultsWe find that the common container approach of aggregating contract amounts by provider headquarter locations in a given area (ignoring satellite service sites) underestimates the share of funding that goes to Chicago neighborhoods with higher hardship. Once service sites and spatial access are taken into account, a larger share of CDPH funds was found to be within walkable reach of Chicago’s high hardship areas. This was followed by low hardship areas (which could be driven by more headquarter locations there that do serve areas throughout the city). Medium hardship areas trail both, perhaps warranting closer attention. We explore these results by program type and neighborhood with a spatial decision support system developed for the health department.ConclusionsThe typical approach for analyzing human service contracts based on headquarters is misleading -- in fact, we find that results are reversed when service sites and walkable access are taken into account. This prototype provides an alternative framework for avoiding these misleading results.

Get up and Get Moving: a nutrition and physical activity after-school program for Latino adolescents of Erie Neighborhood House

Obesity among Latino children in the United States is a serious health concern that poses a risk to develop other chronic illnesses such as Type 2 Diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. The following paper is focused on a 6-week health education intervention that was developed for 12- to 14-year-old Latino youth of an after -school program at a social service agency in the West Town neighborhood of Chicago. Within Chicago, childhood obesity rates in children of all ages were shown to be the second highest among Latino communities for both boys and girls. Implications from this article will provide insight into the need for public health professionals to further research and use that information to formulate ideas to create nutrition and physical activity programs that will address obesity among Latino and other ethnic youth populations—to promote and encourage them to adopt and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Geographic disparities in COVID-19 case rates are not reflected in seropositivity rates using a neighborhood survey in Chicago

To date, COVID-19 case rates are disproportionately higher in Black and Latinx communities across the US, leading to more hospitalizations, and deaths in those communities. These differences in case rates are evident in comparisons of Chicago neighborhoods with differing race and/or ethnicities of their residents. Disparities could be due to neighborhoods with more adverse health outcomes associated with poverty and other social determinants of health experiencing higher prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection or due to greater morbidity and mortality resulting from equivalent SARS-CoV-2 infection prevalence. We surveyed five pairs of adjacent ZIP codes in Chicago with disparate COVID-19 case rates for highly specific and quantitative serologic evidence of any prior infection by SARS-CoV-2 to compare with their disparate COVID-19 case rates. Dried blood spot samples were self-collected at home by internet-recruited participants in summer 2020, shortly after Chicago's first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Pairs of neighboring ZIP codes with very different COVID-19 case rates had similar seropositivity rates for anti–SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain IgG antibodies. Overall, these findings of comparable exposure to SARS-CoV-2 across neighborhoods with very disparate COVID-19 case rates are consistent with social determinants of health, and the co-morbidities related to them, driving differences in COVID-19 rates across neighborhoods.

Community Health Workers Connecting Communities During COVID-19: A Case Study From Chicago.

Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) has adversely impacted vulnerable communities. Community health workers (CHWs) are an evidence-based solution for helping communities navigate challenges and barriers. This case study describes the work of CHWs in a large Hispanic Chicago neighborhood who experienced a disproportionate number of COVID-19 cases. Methods included semistructured interviews and conventional qualitative content analysis. Results describe the problem; the situation; CHWs' roles, motivations and actions; outcomes; lessons learned; and recommendations. The case study concludes with a discussion of effective CHW engagement-particularly for underresourced communities-and presents recommendations for CHW workforce development and policies to strengthen the health care and public health systems.

Intimate partner violence and child and adolescent adjustment: The protective roles of neighborhood social processes.

Parental intimate partner violence (PIPV) is a serious public health problem that can have deleterious effects on children. However, little is known about the implications of PIPV for long-term child development, or about the neighborhood social resources that may mitigate its negative effects. Taking an ecological approach, this study addresses gaps in the literature by examining associations between physical PIPV and the development of internalizing and externalizing problems from childhood through adolescence (ages 6-18) and explores the protective roles of neighborhood social cohesion and social control. Data came from 1,673 primary caregivers with children (mean youth age at wave 1 = 8.94, SD = 2.47; 50% female) who participated in three waves of the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods. Multilevel growth curve models revealed positive associations between PIPV and levels of youth internalizing and externalizing problems. PIPV was not related to rates of growth in internalizing or externalizing problems, and there were no differences for boys versus girls. Neighborhood social cohesion reduced the strength of association between PIPV and internalizing and externalizing problems, and social control was protective for externalizing problems but only during adolescence. The discussion centers on the role of neighborhood context for youth who experience physical PIPV and sheds light on avenues for intervention for children and adolescents in violent households. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Bullying Victimization and STIs: Parental Communication and Parental Sexual Communication as Moderators

Purpose: Informed by attachment theory, the current study explores whether the association between bullying victimization and STIs acquisition among African American youth is moderated by general parental communication or parental communication about sex. Method: Data were collected from 546 African American adolescents in four neighborhoods in Chicago’s South Side. Univariate analyses, Spearman’s rank-order correlation analyses, and hierarchical logistic regression analyses were conducted. Results: A positive association between bullying victimization and STIs acquisition was found. General parental communication did not moderate the association between bullying victimization and STIs acquisition. However, parental communication about sex did moderate the association between bullying victimization and youth STIs acquisition. Discussion: The study has important implications for developing interventions to address the adverse consequences of bully victimization that emphasize parental communication about sex as a major component.

“Mexicans Built This Neighborhood!” Gentrification, Organizations, and the Role of Place-Based Identity in Latinx Chicago

This exploratory study draws on qualitative interviews to investigate respondents’ perspectives about gentrification in their Chicago neighborhood. Prior research has demonstrated that place-based networks are crucial for the well-being of low-income and immigrant urban residents. A parallel though a previously disparate thread of research discusses the negative impacts of gentrification on long-term residents. I find that residents underscore concerns about their neighborhood’s decreasing affordability, as well as the impending loss of their neighborhood’s local Latinx immigrant identity, as central issues for their community. For residents, “place”, vis-á-vis the neighborhood identity, was central to their own construction of ethnic identity. Concurrently, I find that community organizers viewed place-based changes associated with gentrification as nonstrategic for their organization, whose operations have evolved “beyond the neighborhood”, and endeavor to meet the needs of low-income ethnic Latinx populations across the metropolitan region. I conclude that scholars of both ethnic identity and those studying urban inequalities may benefit from taking a place-centered approach in addressing the gentrification, community organizing, and residential displacement occurring within Latinx communities.

The impact of anticipated, vicarious, and experienced racial and ethnic discrimination on depression and suicidal behavior among Chicago youth

There is a growing body of research linking racial and ethnic discrimination to adverse youth outcomes. Beyond experienced racial and ethnic discrimination, this study considers the relevance of anticipated and vicarious racial and ethnic discrimination for depression and suicidal behavior. Hierarchical regression models on a diverse sample of 1147 youth (50.31 % female) within 79 neighborhoods from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods indicated that experienced, anticipated, and vicarious racial and ethnic discrimination were associated with an increased risk of depression and suicidal behavior. Additionally, African American and Hispanic youth were disproportionately exposed to—but not differentially impacted by—racial and ethnic discrimination. Findings suggest that developmental research should account for experienced, anticipated, and vicarious racial and ethnic discrimination.

Peer and Community Influences on Adolescent Substance Use in the Context of Adverse Childhood Experiences.

Both adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and peer influences consistently predict early tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drug use. However, less research considers how peer and community influences contribute to or modify the association between ACEs and early substance use. This study addresses these gaps in the literature by analyzing multilevel, longitudinal data from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN; N = 1,912). Unstructured socializing and peer substance use largely explained the association between ACEs and drinking, smoking cigarettes, and illicit drug use in the past month. A history of ACEs magnified the association between peer substance use and the number of cigarettes smoked. Collective efficacy also shaped the associations between peer influences, ACEs, and substance use, but in different ways depending on the substance use outcome analyzed.