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Preserving Affordable
Housing in Gentrifying Chicago Neighborhoods
The In
Depth section
on HUD User’s Regulatory Barriers Clearinghouse (RBC) takes a closer look
at innovative state and local strategies, activities, and plans to mitigate the
impacts of regulations on the development of affordable housing. Each In Depth
article highlights a particular plan, ordinance, or strategy in the RBC database
and elaborates on aspects such as the approval process, stakeholder
participation, and the progress made in reducing regulatory barriers.
The city
of Chicago passed three
ordinances in 2021 to mitigate the effects of gentrification in the
Pilsen neighborhood and the communities surrounding the western portion of a
linear park known as "the 606." Specifically, these laws are designed to limit
the conversions of two- to six-unit flats, which are naturally affordable to
many longtime residents, into less dense and more expensive housing. Two
ordinances ban the construction of single-family houses (as well as two-plex
flats in Pilsen) on certain blocks, while the third ordinance imposes a
demolition surcharge on residential structures and directs the revenue to a
community land trust. These measures are intended to allow residents continued
access to affordable housing and amenities in Pilsen and along the 606.
Visit HUD
User’s RBC In
Depth page to learn more about the ordinances in Pilsen and the 606 West
area, as well as other plans and initiatives that state and local governments
have enacted to reduce impediments to affordable housing.
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