Quote:
Originally Posted by Eventually...Chicago
^^^nice post
The only thing i would add is this.
Discontinuing service anywhere seems to be a bad idea. How moronic was the destruction of the green line in woodlawn? The area is seeing some redevelopment and you know what they need now? Yep, more transit. It seems better to operate a line at a loss for awhile and hope for redevelopment than to get rid of it and lose it forever. It so hard to build new lines, lets hold onto what we have like grim death.
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This discussion is from 2 weeks ago, but I have since learned information that caused me to change my original response to this post (my original response: local Woodlawn groups worried about crime fought to tear the el down and now the area is "vibrant" with 200K and 300K condos):
basically, the Woodlawn groups (who were church based in a crime ridden area) should have learned from the experiences of another church-based group in a crime-ridden area, New Bethel Life, in West Garfield Park, that, instead of fighting for the Lake St. Green Line El to be dismantled, instead built around it: an arts center, a community center at Lake St. & Pulaski (i.e. right next to the El), senior housing, residential housing that they are now trying to sell at affordable rates and market price, retail development etc. etc. Instead of seeking to get rid of the El, they actually fought for more El stations. I don't know the crime rates in West Garfield Park currently, but they can't be any worse than the areas south of 63rd st. So, basically, (and in contrast to what I argued before) the myopic hostility to transit lines in Woodlawn was extremely short-sighted, leaving those areas with oddly situated housing on what should be a retail thoroughfare, and no little to no public transportation, in contrast to West Garfield Park, which has sought out TOD options and retail development.
anyway, apologies for beating a dead horse. i just wanted to clarify my stance.