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Jun 02, 2006

DePaul University-Sponsored Exhibition And Programs On Gentrification In Pilsen Showing June 2-25

“Gentrification,” a term that is much on the lips of Chicagoans these days, is the topic of a DePaul University exhibition at Mess Hall, 6932 N. Glenwood Ave., June 2 – June 25.

“Contested Chicago: Pilsen and Gentrification,” focuses on gentrification and its effects on the lower west side of Pilsen, an area that DePaul Geography Assistant Professor Euan Hague and his students have been studying for two years in a community service-based course, Geography 133, “Urban Geography.”

The project, conducted in partnership with Pilsen Alliance and DePaul’s Steans Center for Community-based Service Learning, features maps, photographs and other visuals documenting the struggle over condominium development in Pilsen. Six of the maps in the exhibition are the work of DePaul graduating senior and geography major, Harpreet Gill. The exhibition addresses four topics: property taxes, zoning laws, tax increment financing (TIF) and protest.

An interactive map of Rogers Park included in the exhibition encourages local residents to document how their neighborhood is experiencing similar changes.

“Gentrification is a process that is much misunderstood and a very emotional topic that is often difficult to explain and discuss,” said Hague, who has been engaged in field work in Pilsen with DePaul students for two years. “Hopefully, the exhibit will generate discussion and further interest in examining how Chicago is changing and how this is affecting people.”

In the hands-on course, students observe urban change and development first hand by applying theories, such as a “rent gap,” where an area becomes under-valued and a gap develops between the actual and potential rates of return on property, to real-life situations. “Our students have become specialists on certain blocks of Pilsen,” said Hague. “Being able to take students out of their classroom and have them examine how gentrification is impacting directly upon residents enables them to connect often abstract concepts to real world situations.”

Other programs that will be held in conjunction with the exhibition are:

  • June 4, noon to 3 p.m., luncheon lecture by Winifred Curran, assistant professor of geography, DePaul University, “Gentrification: An Introduction.”

  • June 8, 7:30 p.m., two films will be shown: “Where Can I Live?” a story of gentrification in Park Slope, a neighborhood in Brooklyn; and “Conquered Homes,” which examines the grassroots campaign of the Pilsen Alliance in opposing a proposal to build 100 condos in Pilsen.

  • June 9, 7:30 p.m., panel discussion on “Tax Increment Financing (TIFs) in Pilsen and Rogers Park.” Speakers are Bronwyn Elkuss, a resident of Rogers Park; Jason Hardy, research assistant, Center for Economic Policy Analysis; Fran Tobin, interim director of the Rogers Park Community Action Network; and Euan Hague, assistant professor of geography, DePaul.

  • June 16, 7:30 p.m., “Boom: The Sound of Eviction,” a film that explores the relationship between the dot-com boom (and bust) and community displacement, will be shown.

  • June 17, noon to 3 p.m., a luncheon discussion, “Gentrification: Activism and Protest,” will take place between members of the Pilsen Alliance and the Organization of the North East, groups that have contested gentrification in their neighborhoods.

    The Pilsen Alliance, a co-supporter of this project, is an education advocacy group located in the Pilsen neighborhood. The executive director of the organization, Alejandra Ibanez, is an alumnus of DePaul. The exhibition and accompanying programs are free and open to the public. Hours of operation for Mess Hall vary. For hours during which the exhibition can be viewed, visit the Web site at www.messhall.org.