Community Asset Map – East Garfield Park, Chicago IL

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L CTA L Station

Youth Center

Community Garden

Food Pantry

Economic Development Center

Borderbends Art Collective

Garfield Community CenterGarfield Park Conservatory

Church

Community Health Center

Public SchoolsL

Key Assets Explained

L CTA L stations and access to public transportation allow the residents in the Garfield Park community to have the means to utilize key resources within and outside of their neighborhood.

Economic Development Center– Programs and incentives are offered to commercial, retail, industrial, and non-profit organizations that are retaining and adding jobs for community residents. Assistance includes grants, tax reductions, loans, land-write downs, fee waivers and other forms of business aid.

The Borderbend Arts Collective presents boundary-pushing arts programming by connecting artists with communities to create year-round musical, literary and multi-arts programs involving new and unique arts practices. The programs include site-specific events; work presented on web-based platforms; and collaborations among local, regional, and international artists and organizations, all with the goal of building community.

The Garfield Park Conservatory occupies approximately 4.5 acres inside and out and contains a number of permanent plant exhibits incorporating specimens from around the world (including some cycads that are over 200 years old). The Garfield Park Conservatory provides significant horticultural collections, educational programs and community outreach efforts.

Understanding the Community

Garfield Park Fieldhouse

Garfield Park Conservatory

Historical PopulationYear Population

1930 63,3531940 65,7891950 70,0911960 66,8711970 52,0051980 31,5801990 24,0302000 20,8812010 20,567

Racial Demographic White 3.39% Black 90.9% Hispanic 4.13% Asian 0.40% Other 1.17%

Median Household Income:$24,488

Per-capita Income:$13,596

Comparison to Greater Chicago

East Garfield Park Chicago

Households below 39.7% 18.7%poverty level

Unemployment 16.4% 11.1%

No High school diploma 26.2% 20.6%

Age: under 18, over 64 43.2% 34.0%

Crime

Of the 77 Chicago neighborhoods: • 4th in violent crimes (e.g. battery, assault, homicide,

sexual assault). • 10th in property crimes (theft. burglary, shoplifting,

motor vehicle theft).• 2nd in quality-of-life crimes (narcotics, prostitution,

criminal damage).

Quality of Life

• 2nd highest proportion of IDU’s (i.e., injecting drug users)

• 3rd highest proportion of HIV/AIDS prevalence in Chicago

Action Plan – Leveraging East Garfield Park’s Assets

In order to achieve meaningful change, the plan must consider the two feet of social change to (a) meet the basic needs of individuals through direct service work and removing root causes of injustices through policy/infrastructure change

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Policy Infrastructure Change

The City of Chicago currently holds several foreclosed, vacant lots in the East Garfield Park Neighborhood. In the past, they have auctioned these off at incredibly low prices (advertised as low as $1 for adjacent lot owners). These vacant lots present a clear asset of the community that can be leveraged by city planners– Instead of selling these to land proprietors, entrepreneurs, etc., partner with non-profits & city agencies to provide discounted land, subsidized tax structure, incentive programs to create positive infrastructure in the neighborhood instead to benefit greater proportion of neighborhood.

A Planned Parenthood in the neighborhood would provide a vulnerable pop. with HIV screening and counseling, among other valuable services.

Action Plan ContinuedD

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kPolicy Infrastructure Change

Add additional CTA Bus-lines running in North and South directions– to adjacent neighborhoods with affordable/available goods and services– rather than just East toward downtown.

East Garfield Park is a quintessential example of a food desert (i.e. an urban are where it is difficult to find affordable and high-quality fresh food.

14 Convenience Stores Vs. 4 Grocery Stores

In order to combat the food desert issue, leverage the community gardens, bus stations, and nonprofits in the community. East Garfield Park has several community gardens–through programs in local churches and the community center, provide those in-need with workshops/rentable tools to garden the lots in the spring/summer. The convenience stores provide the means to carry fresh, affordable produce– work with owners/franchisees to keep produce in stock. Strategically re-route busses to utilize current stops and provide routes to much-needed resources surrounding Garfield Park.

Action Plan ContinuedD

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High-rates of theft and shoplifting most often stem from economic concerns. Ensuring the youth in the neighborhood utilize after-school programs in order to (a) stay in school (countering the high proportion of those without a diploma), (b) generate a community of peers outside of gang-relation/crime-affiliated activates.

In addition to ensuring the youth are preserved, introduce a program through partner-schools/universities, or the Economic Development Center in order to provide means/classes for adults to gain their GED.

In order to increase youth participation in after-school youth centers, create alliance among local schools. In this program, the schools will rotate in providing shuttle systems to-and-from the youth center and school on an afternoon, daily basis. Providing a way for students to safely get to the youth center will ensure the child (a) does not get involved with street/gang related relationships after school and (b) has a safe community to be involved in if parents work late, rather be alone/unsupervised .

In response to the high IDU’s, work alongside the Garfield Park Community Council to create physician-user rehabilitation/counseling program for those struggling with addiction. In this program, a drug user can develop a close relationship with a professional to create a custom tailored rehabilitation plan.

Works Cited

"Crime in Chicago -- Chicago Tribune." East Garfield Park. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2015.

"Borderbend Arts Collective." Borderbend Arts Collective. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2015.

"Public Safety." — Garfield Park Community Council. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2015.

"Chicago Community Area Historical Data". Chicago Community Area Historical Data. 29 August 2012.

"East Garfield." - New Communities Program. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2015.