Lincoln Park Academia

My goal with this exploration was to focus on the integration of schools in Lincoln Park; a highly regarded area to live in. Lincoln Park is, in relation to the rest of Chicago, more of a family-oriented, safe place to live. Because of this common knowledge, I wondered what the schooling would be like. Typically, schools influence home values in affluent areas which is clearly the case in Lincoln Park. Just walking around and observing the schools and their surroundings made me realize why this neighborhood is a desirable place to live in. Frankly, it reminded me of the suburbs (I grew up in the suburbs, specifically Northbrook) where the education and funding for schools is much better than most CPS schools. Of course, it felt a lot more urbanized but there was a sense of familiarity that resonated with me quite comfortably. As much as, if not more, the neighborhood affects the schools, the schools affect the neighborhood. Antonia Malchik talks about how the distance of school from her house creates a better environment in her editorial The End of Walking, “ …the privilege Americans don’t realise they’ve lost in a nearly Orwellian Fashion: I can open the door of my home, take my kids by their hands, and meet almost any need by lifting my feet and moving forward. Food, schools, social centres, books, playgrounds, even doctors and dentists and ice cream — nearly everything our family uses daily is within a mile’s walk of home and well-served by wide, uncrowded sidewalks” (1).

A commonality between most of the schools that I visited is that right across the street, there are homes within subdivisions which is something I’m not used to because my high school was separated in some way or another from housing. For example, there were houses right across the street from the Abraham Lincoln Elementary school which makes it so much easier on parents with young kids.

Here is a short clip showing that juxtaposition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X71XAswnwTU&feature=youtu.be

Here’s another clip of Park West Nursery school which is just down the road from Abraham Lincoln Elementary, and it just so happens that the Lincoln Commons are being built right next to it, adding to the contrast of homes and schools: https://youtu.be/xCY09zgmEN4

The mapping experience itself was interesting; as I was playing around with how I would tell a story through a map, I noticed a pattern. Before my walk through town, I had mapped out the most efficient route to get to all the schools in a reasonable amount of time. Starting at DePaul and heading East to Park West Nursery school, I noticed I would end up walking in a circle. After Park West, I went down the street to Abe Lincoln Elementary, and then south to Lincoln Park High school.

Lincoln Park High school was interesting because it almost felt like I was walking on a small college campus. It felt quite welcoming, partly because Oz Park is adjacent to it, but also because there were families walking around, dog walkers, and students taking care of after-school duties. I stood in front of the main entrance in amazement because of these beautiful ionic pillars pictured on the left. One thing that I must say was lacking from the entirety of my walk was interesting architecture, but this school made up for it. Again, as I was standing here, people were running by, walking their dogs, or just going for an afternoon stroll.

Urban activist and author Jane Jacobs argues that a bleak school can rub off on a city in her article Downtown is for People, “The Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York is a case in point. This cultural superblock is intended to be very grand and the focus of the whole music and dance world of New York. But its streets will be able to give it no support whatever. Its eastern street is a major trucking artery where the cargo trailers, on their way to the industrial districts and tunnels, roar so loudly that sidewalk conversation must be shouted. To the north, the street will be shared with a huge, and grim, high school. To the south will be another superblock institution, a campus for Fordham” (1). This is the complete opposite from LP High which spreads a cheerful mood.

This area made me realize that a school’s surroundings matter a lot more than we think. Simply being by Oz park, it makes the campus feel more lively and friendly, something that a lot universities do well. I continued my walk to the Goddard school on West Armitage Avenue.

The Goddard school is sort of a high-end daycare/pre-school for good reasons. It was odd to see a school on Armitage in the middle of restaurants and boutique shops because it’s different than what I saw before. But, the administrators of this school really focus on safety and environment (as stated on their website) which is expected because of the placement of the school. Leo Hollis talks about Henry Lefebvre’s (a French philosopher) idea ‘the right to the city’ in his article Cities Belong to us, “For Lefebvre, the city was both the problem and the solution to the quandaries of our everyday lives. Within this political perspective, the people have a common right to utilise city space without restriction. Lefebvre argues that viewing those spaces as the theatre for everyday life changes our sense of belonging: being part of the city is no longer determined by ownership or wealth, but by participation. In consequence, our actions change and refine the city…This idea remains a potent hope… That hope is also present … in studies of the unequal distribution of health provision, education, green spaces, and housing.” (1). This argument that schools, and other establishments, should be aggressively implemented in our cities is exactly what the city of Chicago is doing well now, particularly in Lincoln Park.

After Goddard, I headed to Oscar Mayer Elementary and back to DePaul campus.

It felt more like what I had experienced before when I got to Oscar Mayer Elementary because it’s in a residential area and there’s a public park right in front of it. This school is practically on DePaul’s campus so it’s a very familiar area. I noticed some signs on trees right next to the school that were promoting safety for the neighborhood:

As you can see, this sign was put up by a Girl Scout Troop. It goes to show how aware and concerned others are of their own safety and the kids’ safety. It creates an affable environment in which students can feel safe. In order to have a safe learning environment, schools must be aware of what surrounds the building and encourage positive safety messages. This marked the end of my walk, and I had walked in a complete circle as I predicted in the beginning.

After finishing my map I noticed something interesting; every school I visited was within the parameters of West Fullerton Avenue, North Clark Street, West Armitage Avenue, and North Racine Avenue. Within these parameters, there are houses, apartments and a whole new living area being built. Clearly, more people want to move to Lincoln Park because of a multitude of reasons. There is about 5,000 families with children living in Lincoln Park currently, according to point2homes.com, which makes a lot of sense because of the education that is offered. The Lincoln Commons that are being built right now offer even more integration. The reason I was interested in exploring this part of Lincoln Park is because after completing this discover class, I believe walking is extremely important and it should be in one way or another, encouraged and renewed. One way that can happen is by having schools in close proximity to prove that there is no need for transportation other than walking. This walk proved to me that the city of Chicago is actively working on that.

So, to make the map easy to understand and follow, I decided to give each school a color (most of them are the actual school colors) and represent them on the map as a dot of that color. Then, I drew in my path to point to the geometric coincidence that I encountered. The location of these schools encourages walking because of the proximity of homes. For example, if a student lives across the street from the Abe Lincoln Elementary, he/she is going to walk across the street instead of getting in a car or riding a bike. It’s almost like houses were built right next to schools strategically to encourage more walking. Instead of going from interior to interior, students can walk for a short amount of time to get to school. And, this area is particularly safe so there is nothing to worry about. Like I mentioned before, the vibe in Lincoln Park reminds me of a compressed suburb. The proximity of schools is a big influence on walking as intended. (1538)

Bibliography:

Malchik, Antonia. “Step by Step, Americans Are Sacrificing the Right to Walk — Antonia Malchik | Aeon Essays.” Aeon, Aeon, 20 Aug. 2015, aeon.co/essays/step-by-step-americans-are-sacrificing-the-right-to-walk.

Hollis, Leo. “Cities Thrive When Public Space Is Open to All — Leo Hollis | Aeon Essays.” Aeon, Aeon, 18 July 2013, aeon.co/essays/cities-thrive-when-public-space-is-open-to-all.

Jacobs, Jane. “Downtown Is for People (Fortune Classic, 1958).” Fortune, Fortune, 18 Sept. 2011, fortune.com/2011/09/18/downtown-is-for-people-fortune-classic-1958/.