CUED

An Assessment of the Economic Conditions of
Humboldt Park and West Town and Options for Economic Development

An initial assessment of selected socio-economic indicators of West Town and Humboldt Park lead to the conclusion that the economic situation of a large percentage of area residents was critical. Employment, educational skill and income levels were below general averages for the city of Chicago. Residents have been differentially affected by these situations according to ethnic and racial backgrounds as well as by factors of age and sex among others. Meanwhile, locally available educational and training services were inadequate and organized actions to solve the above problems were insufficient.

Analyses of businesses located in the area revealed a general decline in economic activity. Although gains took place in particular industries between 1977 and 1983, jobs and firms were lost in almost any major industrial classification and the number of jobs available in the area decreased by a large percentage during this period. In spite of this, enough jobs exist in the area to employ close to four fifths of the local labor force. In contrast links between local jobs and local residents are weak; in fact, the local economy employs only about one seventh of the local labor force. Locally-based groups were assisting particular industrial clusters in the area and efforts at attracting/retaining firms both at the local and at a larger level were under way; yet, the impact of these efforts in increasing the number of jobs available locally and the commitment of local firms to hiring area residents remain to be seen.

The situation calls for concerted actions covering different but related fronts. Educational and training services need to be largely improved. Structural obstacles selectively preventing the employment of certain groups largely represented in study area require participation of local organizations in efforts toward reversing these trends. In particular, they call for targeting of job development efforts to the specific situation of those groups. There is a clear need to further explore the possibility of increasing the share of residents that are employed in firms located in the area. New opportunities for job development need to be identified. Ways need to be explored to increase the equity share of residents in the local economy and to organize the provision of basic services on a cheaper basis. Finally all these actions should be conceived in ways that ensure their control by community residents.

CUED and BRC explored strategic options for action in these fronts that were within the range of BRC's resources and mission while addressing the above situation in a meaningful manner. After a careful analysis of different actions being undertaken by community groups in the above areas options were narrowed down to eleven; these options were then discussed in light of the following criteria: potential impact, BRC's resources and capabilities, costs, level of control and effort required for success, and relationship to other local efforts. These options along with some notes of caution and other issues raised In this report are now presented to the Board and membership of BBC and to the community as the basis for a second phase in this planning effort that will hopefully lead to the selection of a final strategy or set of strategies for job development in West Town and Humboldt Park.

This website is maintained by Cedric Williams, Manager System Services,
UIC-Center for Urban Economic Development