Redesign of a demolished neighborhood: creating a healthy, safe and sociable Cabrini Green in Chicago

In this thesis, I propose a redesign of a newly demolished public housing project located at the north end of Cabrini Green neighborhood in Chicago. It is the former “William Green Homes”, notorious for crimes, physical deterioration, and social isolation, but also home for many hundreds of people over the years. In accordance with HUD’s Hope VI program, my proposed redesign focuses on the public health, neighborhood safety, and sociability. Inspired by New Urbanism precedents and based upon literature on affordable housing planning and design and observation, site analysis, HOPE VI survey, this thesis proposes specific planning and design interventions for Cabrini Green neighborhood. The thesis also suggests ways to apply environment and behavior research to the practice of landscape architecture in the context of a specific neighborhood in Chicago. It has three major sections: Introduction and Literature Review (Chapter 1 and 2), cover background information of Cabrini Green and review of literature on housing; Site Study and Precedents & Recommendations (Chapter 3 and 4), contain site inventory and analysis, summary of HOPE VI survey findings, and resources from Chicago Housing Authority; Schematic Proposals and Final Plan (Chapter 5 and 6), illustrate three alternatives plans and the synthesized illustrative plan and detail designs. The thesis concludes with thoughts of applying Cabrini Green redesign to similar situations elsewhere.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.L.A.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Landscape Architecture

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2011

Author dc:creator

• Chai, Xinxin

Contributors dc:contributor

• Sinha, Amita

• Cabrini Green
• Public Housing
• Health
• Safety
• Sociability

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2011 Xinxin Chai

Language dc:language

en

Handle dc:identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/26228

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/26228