Project Description
Cabrini Green is a project under the public housing program in Chicago, Illinois. The project encompassed the development of the city’s north side, providing homes with various floor plans. The construction of Cabrini Green was tied to urban renewal, but the efforts made were not enough to create a safe urban environment (Smith et al., 2018).
Initially, the dense development helped provide housing for approximately 15,000 people, but pronounced racial separation, and lack of social safety, health, and education resources led to increased problems (Austen, 2018a). The goal of creating affordable mid-range housing was not achieved because the social conditions of the area prevented the area from developing and growing. The district could not handle the load it received, and the state did not attempt to help. As a result, Cabrini Green remained a failed project.
The Legacy of Cabrini-Green: An Examination of Its Status as a Failed Project
Dysfunctional Housing Conditions
First and foremost, it should be noted that the housing was dysfunctional in and of itself. The first two-story houses were built in 1942, and the middle and high-rise buildings in 1957 (Cancino, 2021). The physical deterioration of the buildings was quite noticeable, causing inconvenience. The lack of thoughtful planning did not prepare this housing for long-term use, so the buildings gradually fell into disrepair more and more efficiently.
In addition, the neighborhood was claimed to be an alternative to the slums, so quality was paid less attention than quantity. Many buildings lacked safety nets and fencing and no organized entrances or exits. The surrounding area was gray, lacking green space and convenient transportation interchanges. The low rental cost did not compensate for the neighborhood’s lack of planning and management.
Racial Discrimination in the Neighborhood
Second, Cabrini Green was often criticized as a racially discriminatory neighborhood. Because the influx of migrants in the mid-20th century was substantial and the slums were overcrowded, new public housing had to be a replacement option (Ruiz-Tagle, 2016). The more black people were relocated to Cabrini Green, the more social tensions grew (Austen, 2018b).
Discrimination gradually increased because the neighborhood was remote and did not have enough resources to maintain housing, and the neighborhood became notorious for high crime criteria (Ruiz-Tagle, 2016). Social exclusion and implicit resentment from the state disrupted the population’s sense of community, leading to clashes. Racial prejudice continues to make Chicago an unsafe city with a high crime rate. For Cabrini Green, the rate was higher than average because the black population was discriminated against and did not have the money to provide minimum coverage.
Economic Weakness Post-World War II
Third, Cabrini Green was economically weak because resource management was weakened after World War II, and many people lost their jobs. Lack of jobs and poverty encouraged organized crime (Cancino, 2021). The city did not have enough resources to provide police patrols, social support resources, or education.
Smith et al. (2018) also note that the lack of adequate access to health care significantly disrupted resettlement after the project due to the abundance of psychological problems. Cabrini Green had to save money on essential components of housing comfort, such as electricity, water, gas, and significant repairs. In addition, home maintenance was infrequent, so all indicators of deterioration were not detected in time, and housing sat idle with broken or deteriorated elements.
Social and Economic Challenges Leading to Crime
The inability to support the social and economic needs of the community in Cabrini Green has resulted in crime and vandalism being significant hallmarks of the neighborhood. Several known incidents of murder and violence on the streets of Cabrini Green were the reasons that prompted the government to consider a renovation program and demolish some buildings (Austen, 2018a).
The murders of Dantrell Davis, Girl X, and the murder of a police officer were cases that shocked the public. The murders led to a dramatic increase in the number of police officers. They even made the neighborhood look like a prison, with metal detectors attached to every apartment and isolated areas boarded up.
Unfortunately, the technology used by the police only made matters worse as organized crime adopted it to its advantage. Cabrini Green felt a lack of willingness on the part of the state to support and resource the neighborhood (Austen, 2018b). In addition, developments were constructed in such a way as to create a sense of abandonment, and in such circumstances, the neighborhood could not be expected to thrive.
Cabrini Green was a failed project that gained a reputation as the most misguided attempt to organize public housing. The lack of planning and management of building maintenance in adjacent areas led to social exclusion (Austen, 2018b). Resettlement in Cabrini Green from poor neighborhoods created poverty and racial discrimination and developed the ability to create organized crime. In addition, the neighborhood’s socioeconomic limitations led to persistent failures in housing and living arrangements and deprived them of opportunities for safety. As a result, Cabrini Green was subject to demolition, and by 2011, all buildings above two stories were demolished.
Problems of Former Residents
After the buildings in Cabrini Green were built again, the problem of relocating the former population of the area arose. The dysfunctional social determinants led to the issue that providing people with housing and resources was pretty challenging because crime and poverty imposed significant constraints. Therefore, social workers had to work on all three levels (micro, mezzo, macro) to help the population cope with the move and provide adequate and comfortable housing. Table 1 in the chart shows the potential ways to work at these levels to address the lack of housing.
References
Austen, B. (2018a). High-risers: Cabrini-Green and the fate of American public housing. Harper.
Austen, B. (2018b). The towers came down, and with them the promise of public housing. The New York Times. Web.
Cancino, A. (2021). Cabrini-Green: A history of broken promises. Block Club Chicago. Web.
Ruiz-Tagle, J. (2016). The broken promises of social mix: The case of the Cabrini Green/Near North area in Chicago. Urban Geography, 37(3), 352-372. Web.
Smith, J., Kwon, S., Mason, M., & Sheehan, K. (2018). Investigating the support networks for mothers of a high-density public housing community and the effects of housing closures on these support systems. Journal of Urban Health: Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine, 95(3), 401–408. Web.