A chorus of voices is calling for the incoming mayoral administration to invest in more affordable housing. Those voices include well-meaning people, committed to “inclusion and equity,” who argue that low-income people would benefit from “moving to opportunity” in new, high-end developments in the densely populated, amenity-rich North Side
But should a poor person be forced to move to Lincoln Park or Lakeview to find a good apartment, an excellent school, a job, or a grocery store with fresh food?
The answer should be, and can be, no. The focus on getting more affordable housing in rich neighborhoods shouldn’t overshadow the need to improve communities where low-income people already live — and where they might want to stay
OPINION
Investment and community renewal, without gentrification, can occur even in neighborhoods that were written off as hopeless not long ago.