COMMUNITY ACTIVISM IN OAK PARK: COMPETING AGENDAS ...

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