Our world, once divided by the vastness of its oceans, has become connected more so than ever through globalization. International transport, communication, and commerce are results of this development. While globalization has its benefits, it instills regional and global competition between cities. Some cities have flourished, becoming world cities. Others struggle to maintain or catch up. To better understand this sense of competition, indexes have conceptualized universal characteristics of…
black area of Chicago, broadened, its length snaked onward continuing to grow at a steady pace. Eventually, social conflict, animosity and racial tensions exploded and, in 1919, a bloody riot broke out on the streets of Chicago. Many people, historically, recall the riot as the summer of “the red riot”, leaving 15 whites and 23 blacks dead, and another 500 (with 60% being black) injured. (The Chicago Race Riot of 1919). According to the Chicago Website City of Chicago, Chicago was…
During the summer of the years 1133 to 1855 a famous fair came into London, most commonly known as the Bartholomew Fair. Hosted in Smithfield, otherwise known as the location popular for slaughterhouses and public executions, the fair was a trading event that attracted Londoners of all classes. Ben Jonson uses this factor to his advantage with his play entitled, “Bartholomew Fair.” The type of people, activities, and crimes that occur at the fair gives Jonson the opportunity to reflect on his…
We focus on the U.S. Great Lakes megaregion, which includes large metropolitan areas such as Chicago, Detroit, Minnesota, Cleveland, St. Louis, and Pittsburgh. The dataset consists of a balanced panel based on the monthly data obtained from various sources. Variables measured in this study and the data sources are described in this section. We focus on the time period between 2013 July and 2016 May for data consistency. Figure 1. US Great Lakes Megaregion (source:…
notify municipalities of their financial status. (Illinois General Assembly, 99th District, State of Illinois 2015 and 2016 HB 4560, ilga.gov) This senate bill allows additional TIF funding to be allocated to Chicago Public Schools (CPS). TIF is a special funding tool used by the City of Chicago for public and private projects. Examples of projects include, building/repairing roads and infrastructure.…
analyze the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 and the life of serial killer H.H. Holmes to contextualize the many contradictions of United States culture in the 1890s. In 1890, a majority voted that Chicago be the home for the World Columbian Exposition of 1893. The architects and city planners of Chicago envisioned a city that would “surpass the brilliance of the Paris…
I have had the great opportunity to have lived in several different locations around the United States. Branching off into three states and then subcategorized into cities based on the location of each. I have traveled the United States for many years, traveling from one city to another. Staring from birth I have moved and lived in many different homes, classifying each location into states and from there branching off into cities. I have had the great fortune of living in Texas first. Texas…
In the global city of Washington, DC, gentrification related to affordable housing and social/racial tensions is becoming more and more prevalent. This, in turn, is affecting the future of the community and having adverse implications for the city’s old and new inhabitants. Gentrification is the practice of revitalizing or reforming a community to appeal to higher-class tastes, most often the tastes of the white middle-class. While gentrification is sometimes associated with increases in…
Force of Change by Alexis Rockman created in 2017 depicts the junction of the Niagara River, the Erie Canal, and Lake Erie particularly near Buffalo, New York. The painting displays the utter beauty of the Great Lakes, all the while exploring the dangerous forces that threaten them. The piece is one of a series done by Alexis Rockman called “Alexis Rockman: The Great Lakes Cycle” currently displayed in the Grand Rapids Art Museum from January 27 to April 29. Through the use of several different…
became convinced that it would be a good thing to rent a house in a part of the city where many primitive and actual needs are found” (Addams, 48). Addams then went on to buy a 43,560 ft^2, later known as the Hull House, in a poor neighborhood of Chicago, with her friend Ellen Gates Starr. The Hull House remained her home until her death in 1935. These early experiences, all before the age of 30, helped mold Jane Addams into the reformer she became. Addams didn’t have any financial backing or…