Urban & Environmental Governance Network: Case Study of Chicago

Abstract

In the early 1960s, a series of neo-liberal policies of urban governance and development were implemented in the suburbs of Chicago, including slum clearance, gentrification, and the urban renewal plan that was complemented by another urban design project. The neoliberal policies of urban governance and development are based on a host of marketoriented policies such as taxincrement financing (TIFs), public land clearance, and public housing reform initiatives. Within this context, the experience of Chicago is a textbook example of implementation of a series of policies that seek to attract transnational capital investment, corporate-based services, tourism, and gentrification of large sections of working- and lower-class neighborhoods. Throughout the last decades, the Urban Commission (UC) has emerged as the main agency for change, urban redevelopment, and the most influential political and economic player in the neighborhood.