Wiki-Draft: Hyde Park (XIII)

Introduction

Hyde Park is located on the south side of the city of Chicago, in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is approximately seven miles south of the Chicago Loop. It is one of 77 Chicago community areas. It is home to the University of Chicago, the Museum of Science and Industry, the DuSable Museum of African-American History, and  the Oriental Institute.

History

Hyde Park was founded by Paul Cornell in the 1850s. In 1861, the Hyde Park Township was incorporated, extending from 39th to 63rd Streets. Hyde Park was independent of Chicago until 1889, when it was annexed to the city. Today, Hyde Park is coined as the neighborhood from 51st Street to the 59th and 60th streets. The neighborhood's eastern boundary is Lake Michigan and its western boundary is Washington Park.
Context
Mission
History
Places of Interest
Contemporary Issues
Community Organizations/Committees

Effects of University of Chicago in Hyde Park's Development 
- Background
In the early 1890s, the University of Chicago was founded by John D. Rockefeller. It became one of the world's most prestigious universities, currently in association with its 85 Nobel Prize Winners. 

Community Events
Awards and Recognition
See Also
Notes

Sources (XII)

“A lot of controversy in Hyde Park”. Chicago Reader, 2011. Web. 23 Oct. 2011
          <http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/a-lot-of-controversy-in-hyde-park/Contentoid=871864>

This is an article of The Chicago Reader written by journalist Ben Joravsky who takes a look at a meeting held in Hyde Park where many residents of the community along with representatives of some of Hyde Park’s development committees where present. There, they discussed the issue of a vacant lot adjacent to an elementary school, which provoked uproar of demands between using it for commercial development, residences, educational use, or even a park. This article set the backdrop for Hyde Park’s inner-political layout, as readers are able to recognize a bi-polar atmosphere within Hyde Park between commercial developers and regular residents. It also gives a brief history of how issues like these are all tied to the beginning of Hyde Park’s urban renewal in the 1950’s. I will use this source to highlight some of the different political and economic interests of residents and committee leaders. With this article, I am also able to introduce the history of some of these organizations to my audience, as their histories intimately relate to Hyde Park’s contemporary conversations of development plans and current local concerns.

"Urban Renewal Timeline Part II: Aftershocks mingle with new waves, 1964-present." HydePark.org. Hyde Park Kenwood Community Conference, n.d. Web. 7 Nov 2011.

          <http://www.hydepark.org/historicpres/urbanrtimeline2.htm>

This source is a timeline of the Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conferences’ history since it’s founding. This source will help me to identify in which ways the University of Chicago was involved in various projects, and at exactly what points in the last half century. With the conference being one of Hyde Park’s leading community organizations, this timeline beholds its authority under their official website, www.hydepark.org. Looking at this source, I am able to track the political history of some of the legislation that was passed in Hyde Park, which were the founding policies of key elements in the general urban renewal process.

Working in Groups? (XIV)

In working with groups in the past, I have for whatever reason, always taken the leadership/facilitating role. I love coordinating assignments and bringing things together to make a great final presentation. I have not worked within a group in a long time now, so I can vaguely explain a time where I had a bad experience with working in a group, especially in school. Of course, any professional job I've worked outside of school entailed a certain degree of teamwork, because I've mainly worked in the food industry, or within certain offices of the university I attend. I think any failures in groups would be a result of miscommunication and the disability to synchronize everyone's objectives to be able to assemble those components into a final work. Success comes when goals are carefully outlined, and assignments are given out to those who seem most fitting to the given assignment, and they are administered and put together by a responsible and visionary member of the team. I have honestly never worked in a group outside of the professional working environment where we had actually assigned roles with titles. We simply split up the work in the most commensurate way we each saw fit, and put it all together at the end to produce a polished result. 

The biggest issue a group can face is a member who is not able to perform quality material to contribute to the final "work". In an unfortunate situation, there are normally "free-riders" who like to get away with doing minimal work, seeking to be covered by more diligent members to gain the benefits of the final merit. 

Curious Researcher: Hyde Park Community (XI)

People:


The Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference, along with continuous support from the University of Chicago and unnamed private entities, have contributed to both, Hyde Park's political and economic development. In my research, I have no pinpointed one significant figure in this movement, though much can be profiled as to the roles and achievements the Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference has made, in collaboration with state and local subcommittees and representatives. I find most interest in the real estate development that has occurred in Hyde Park along 55th and other major roads. Having also lived in the area in 2008, I find it very compelling to look at the relationship between political and economic leverage versus private commercial interests in the community. 

Trends:


On streets like 55th in Hyde Park, smaller businesses are being put out by larger commercial companies like Trader Joes'a and Crate and Barrel. Owners of these lots are purposely not renewing the leases of these smaller owners to make way for larger commercial chains. 


I also ran across the issue between the University of Chicago and younger members of the Hyde Park community who started a urban garden on a lot owned by the University of Chicago which was never used until recently. The new real estate development is a trend that seems to be making way for commercial businesses on a much larger scale than before. Hyde Park's main streets were traditionally filled with smaller shops and businesses, but now it's started to sort of mirror the south loop where you will find stores like Trader Joe's or Crate & Barrel on the main streets; peripheries of large residential areas. 

Controversies:


A majority of Hyde Park and Kenwood's gentrification process has been supported by the University of Chicago, which has also influenced much of the real estate investment in the community since it's establishment. Many people in the community argue about undeveloped areas, and what should be built on those lots, and who has the authority or the right to. The problem with the University of Chicago lies within the negligence of the institution to obtain a certain consensus from affected community members for the advancement of certain property and commercial projects.

Places:


I would break up my community into the following sub-groups, which pose are key actors in Hyde Park's politics and commercial development:


Hyde Park's Private residents
Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference (http://www.hydepark.org/)
University of Chicago (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki // University_of_Chicago/www.uchicago.edu)
Kenwood (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenwood,_Chicago)
Hyde Park (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyde_Park,_Chicago)
Woodlawn (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodlawn,_Chicago)
South East Chicago Commission (http://secc-chicago.org // http://secc-chicago.org/)
Private commercial developers

Impact:


The Unversity of Chicago seems to have the most impact on people outside the community. These articles seems to lay out that notion clearly: 


The Chicago Reader: Hyde Park-Kenwood, University of Chicago, & Southside History


The Chicago Reader: A lot of Controversy in Hyde Park

Once you've spent some time writing and thinking about each of the things above, pick one or two ideas that seem to stand out for you. Now, write two or three interesting question about each of them--real questions that you would genuinely like to know the answers to!


Here are some main questions I have for my research:


How deep is the relationship between the Hyde Park, Kenwood and Woodlawn communities? 


In which ways are these communities affected by the policies and real estate development advanced by the University of Chicago? 


In the backdrop of the 1950's and early 60's as far as gentrification in Hyde Park brought on by the University of Chicago and it's committees administered by people who wanted to see urban renewal, or a "color wash-out", what are some of Hyde Park's main issues today?