COMMUNITY ACTIVISM IN OAK PARK: COMPETING AGENDAS ...
COMMUNITY ACTIVISM IN OAK PARK: COMPETING AGENDAS ...
COMMUNITY ACTIVISM IN OAK PARK: COMPETING AGENDAS ...
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een lured to Arts and Crafts style homes and trendy lofts and bungalows. But many of<br />
the lower-income are drawn to the neighborhood of Oak Park because there are low-<br />
income home buyer programs available in the community that provide homeownership<br />
assistance in “target areas” (see Figure 3). Similarly, historical neighborhoods, such as<br />
Oak Park, have long drawn newcomers as the historical neighborhoods are interpreted as<br />
markers of good taste, set against the mass-produced sameness of the suburbs and the<br />
older homes, retail, and leisure spaces (Bridge 2006:722).<br />
Figure 3. Map of Oak Park Redevelopment where a<br />
“target area” for homeownership assistance is shaded.<br />
http://www.communitycouncil.org/level-3/direct_connect_earnings.html/<br />
At the same time, the neighborhood began to be projected as a cultural hub, as<br />
cultural events showcasing music and art were increasingly spotlighted. While the<br />
development of Oak Park has lured first time homebuyers, immigrants, working-class<br />
and middle-class families to the neighborhood, many artists began to view Oak Park as<br />
an artistically and politically stimulating neighborhood where they could live and<br />
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