Available online
Description
The South Commons development in Chicago has set an interesting precedent in the pattern of urban renewal by attempting to integrate different races and income groups in one residential area, toget...her with facilities like a community centre a shopping area, and a school. The programme considers the City Government's initial plans for renewing an area which was deteriorating, talks to partners in the firm that successfully competed for the right to redevelop the site, and examines some of the architectural and financial aspects of this kind of scheme. Finally, people who actually live there give their views about the successes and failures of the project.
The South Commons development in Chicago has set an interesting precedent in the pattern of urban renewal by attempting to integrate different races and income groups in one residential area, toget...her with facilities like a community centre a shopping area, and a school. The programme considers the City Government's initial plans for renewing an area which was deteriorating, talks to partners in the firm that successfully competed for the right to redevelop the site, and examines some of the architectural and financial aspects of this kind of scheme. Finally, people who actually live there give their views about the successes and failures of the project.
| Module code and title: | DT201, Urban development |
|---|---|
| Item code: | DT201; 11 |
| First transmission date: | 24-06-1973 |
| Published: | 1973 |
| Rights Statement: | |
| Restrictions on use: | |
| Duration: | 00:24:31 |
| + Show more... | |
| Producer: | Michael Philps |
| Contributors: | Geoffrey Edge; Ezra Gordon; Lewis Hill; Morris Janowitz; Daniel Levin; Jack Levin; James McHugh |
| Publisher: | BBC Open University |
| Keyword(s): | South Commons Development Scheme |
| Subject terms: | Chicago (Ill.); Human geography; Urban economics |
| Footage description: | 360° pan of South Commons housing estate. Edge introduces the programme and the whole problem of urban development. He describes in some detail the South Commons area and the type of community the planners hoped to set up. Aerial shots and ground level shots of the area, the houses, offices etc. Edge asks Lewis Hill, commissioner for Urban Renewal, how they went about the redevelopment programme. He outlines the area's history. Shots of old photographs of the area (1950s) Hill explains how the plan went through various committees etc. before the area, was put up for tenders to develop the area along the lines laid down by the City authorities. Pan along South Commons housing. Edge interviews the successful bidders for the project. He asks why they thought they secured the tender. More shots of various different housing and flat types in the area. Edge interviews Jack Levin, one of the architects, involved in the project. He also questions Ezra Gordon on the social objectives of the scheme, which were to integrate various income groups without showing too clearly which houses were for which groups and thereby be divisive in the community. Edge asks sociologist, Morris Janowitz, what his role in the planning was, which was mainly to advise on how to produce a racial and economic mix. Various shots of the area, school children. Shots of children playing baseball. Edge describes the problems of schooling in the area, and also the high crime rate in the vicinity. Shot of private security officer patrolling the streets. James McHugh discusses the necessity for developing surrounding areas to prevent middle-class emigration to the suburbs. A round table discussion by local residents centres on the problems facing them - schooling, crime etc. Various pictures of the group. The discussion continues. The problem of haves and have-nots, leading to racial tensions. Edge sums up the social problems facing the area, and also the economic viability of the project, e.g. whether it makes a profit. Various shots of the South Commons housing. Credits. |
| Master spool number: | 6HT/71015 |
| Production number: | 00525_2007 |
| Videofinder number: | 394 |
| Available to public: | no |
