Journal Article

Reinvesting in the Greater Chatham Neighborhoods in Chicago: New Data and Insights from Practitioners and Policymakers

Abstract: In the not too distant past, Chicago was known as the center of black capitalism in America, and within the city, the Chatham neighborhood reflected the heart of black middle-class aspirations. In recent years, residents of Chatham and other south side neighborhoods have confronted a barrage of challenges to their once stable communities. In hopes of stanching this tide, Congressman Bobby Rush, whose district includes the Chatham neighborhood, and scores of civic leaders, helped launch the Greater Chatham Initiative (GCI) in June 2016,1 to mobilize resources for a comprehensive set of interventions. As part of this initiative, the GCI Leadership Committee commissioned and published a report called The Comprehensive Plan for Economic Growth and Neighborhood Vitality, with the objective of augmenting investment in the people, firms, and places of Greater Chatham, and reconnecting them to the economic growth of the regional economy.

Keywords: population; demography; Chicago (Ill.) - Chatham; minority-owned business; community development; unemployment;

Bibliographic Information

Provider: Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago

Part of Series: Profitwise

Publication Date: 2017

Issue: 3

Pages: 4-20