Vision for Change This Is

¶ … Vision for Change This is no informative article. This is a persuasive piece on 'Chicago's Public Housing" (CHA), the history of their developments, the successes that they've achieved since then, and their objective for the future. As the timeline on p.31 shows, CHA, at the time of writing, is in the fifth year of its Plan for Transformation.

Presumably, much of the public, including several readers of this journal, might perceive CHA's ongoing construction activities as technically disturbing to their life (in terms of snarling road traffic and causing them similar time-related difficulties). Investors or owners of these public housing developments, as involved parties, would, likewise, need to be informed about reasons for this transformation, and persuaded into accepting it.

CHA, in this article, consequently explains its need for construction, by detailing its history and the history of some of these developments, elaborating on its successful projects through examples, and plotting out its immediate and long-term plan. In persuasive manner, Peterson (2005) uses the term 'we', also alluding to the public, as means, presumably, of cajoling the reader that his or her understanding would be appreciated.

Indeed, as the abstract notes, this is a "massive revitalization" of some of the poorest public housing stock, which "aims to completely transform isolated public housing developments" (30). By transforming developments that were (or still now are) marked by "crime, poverty, and despair into thriving mixed-income neighborhoods" (ibid.), CHA will, simultaneously, raise the value on these developments, attracting new buyers to the market whilst raising the quality of the neighborhood. Terry Peterson, the author, is the Chief Executive Officer of the CHA.

Her intent for this ten-year Plan for Transformation, she tells you upfront, is to change the "mindset surrounding public housing." The tone of the article attempts to do this by demonstrating the marked change that many formerly depressing neighborhoods have gone through, and ambitious plans for their revitalization for the coming decade. The project involved "immense participation and coordination among various private and public entities." To that end, Peterson, delineates CHA's origin, its commitments, its present successes, and its plans for the future.

Peterson starts off by describing the need for revitalization: how targeted neighborhoods had decayed introducing sociological problems; how their notoriety had effected Chicago's public housing reputation; and how CHA had fissured under this mismanagement and had had to be restored. Mayor Daley's threefold plan (to overhaul CHA's finances; to upgrade the quality and safety of these depressed neighborhoods and; to integrate public housing into the greater Chicago area) vitiated into CHA's ten-year Plan for Transformation that was approved by the federal government in February 2000. The Plan incorporates the following commitments: 1.

To invest in a $1.5 billion capital program that would rehabilitate or construct 25,000 public housing units. 2. To build these brand new units in mixed-income neighborhoods that would provide economic opportunities to stragglers from the formerly depleted neighborhoods. 3. To transfer CHA properties to professional property management companies in an effort to ensure that revitalization of these transferred properties continues its upward slope in the future rather than reverting to its former demoralized position. 4.

To integrate CHA residents with the rest of greater Chicago and to provide them with expanded access to regular city services including public and private social resources. CHA emphasizes that residents affected by this move are being cared for by temporary and voluntary housing options, and that CHA attempts to upset the life of these transitory residents as least as possible.

Certainly there are disturbances and, possibly, even errors -- it would be impossible to attempt a "public housing revitalization plan of this magnitude" and "we're learning more everyday" (34) -- but Peterson insists, "[we're] applying what we've learned" (ibid). To date, CHA has completed renovation and redevelopment of 56% of its units. They've closed 27 mixed-income deals, and residents are receiving the necessary supportive services. Peterson closes on the triumphant note: "We're working every day to ensure that our goals are fulfilled.

For us and the rest of Chicago, failure is not an option" (34). Although the article was well written, informative, and clear, I was confused by its objective, uncertain as to its target reader. Initially thinking the author's intent was to explain and excuse the disturbances that construction might be causing in day -- to-day life, I, later, thought it.