Building a Better Chicago: Race and Community Resistance to Urban Redevelopment

Teresa Irene Gonzales' book "Building a Better Chicago" explores how local Black and Brown communities can resist gentrification and fight for their interests, focusing on Little Village and Greater Englewood. She shows how philanthropists, non-profits, and government agencies struggle for power and control, often against the interests of residents. However, Gonzales also shows how these communities have advocated for themselves and demanded accountability from politicians and agencies.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 224 pages
Publication date: 29 June 2021
Publisher: New York University Press

Despite the promises made by politicians, non-profit organizations, and government agencies, Chicago's most disadvantaged neighborhoods continue to face severe poverty, inadequate schools, and gang violence. In her book, "Building a Better Chicago," Teresa Irene Gonzales sheds light on why these promises have yet to be fulfilled, revealing the tensions between neighborhood residents and the institutions that claim to represent them. Gonzales focuses on two communities: Little Village, the largest Mexican immigrant community in the Midwest, and Greater Englewood, a predominantly Black neighborhood. Through her on-the-ground exploration of these communities, Gonzales exposes the power struggles between philanthropists, non-profits, and government agencies, often at the expense of the interests of the residents they aim to help. However, she also highlights the resilience and advocacy of these communities, as they fight for their rights and demand accountability from the politicians and agencies in their midst. "Building a Better Chicago" delves into the many high-stakes battles taking place on the streets of Chicago, offering a more promising pathway to empowering communities of color in the twenty-first century.

Weight: 350g
Dimension: 153 x 227 x 17 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781479814886