The Roseland neighborhood is home to the Lowden Projects, the wild 100s.And here's a map for your reference of the Roseland community area
The Roseland neighborhood by far has one of the best outward physical appearances then most of the other top ten neighborhoods.
Roseland has a decent economic base, good homes and schools, this goes against all the usual arguments of why violence is happening in this neighborhood.
Updated: This year in the Roseland neighborhood, 130 people have been shot and, 36 have been killed and 94 have been wounded. These stats rank Roseland at number 8 on the 2017 list of the most Violent neighborhoods in Chicago. This video was made 5 weeks before the year ended. I meet a lot of good people in this neighborhood and am hoping Roseland does not make the list next year.
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| Roseland |
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| 49 E 95th St |
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| From Playlot on 98th/Michigan |
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| sixthward.us |
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| Red Line Extension |
In January, the city announced the final alignment for the 5.3 mile extension to 130th Street. That’s key for the CTA to secure $1 billion in federal funding needed for the project that wouldn’t see construction start until 2022. Though the city has proposed using transit TIFs (tax increment financing) to fund part of the extension, some transit advocates contend that wouldn’t be nearly enough to make a dent in the cost. And others question whether the Trump administration would give the city $1 billion for a project of this scope.A former candidate for 9th ward alderman - well not identified as such in the article - was quoted in this piece:
Some transit advocates say there is a quicker and less costly way to improve transit on the South Side by converting the Metra Electric District (MED) main line into rapid transit. Retrofitting Metra’s existing rail infrastructure to accommodate rapid transit, they say, could be completed in less time than it would take to build the extension and without displacing privately owned properties, as the Red Line extension would.
But putting the Red Line extension on the backburner where it has sat for decades would be a disservice to the Far South Side, community members say. Mayor Richard J. Daley promised to extend it beyond its 95th Street terminus when he cut the ribbon on the transit line nearly 50 years ago.
South Side resident Michael LaFargue says extending the Red Line south is all about equity – transit equity, economic equity and environmental equity. The loss of manufacturing jobs, he said has devastated the Roseland community economically while lack of rapid transit has made access to jobs and opportunities even more difficult.And what's the difference in cost?
The 111th Street station, LaFargue added, could be branded as Greater Roseland Hospital Medical District similar to the Blue Line’s Illinois Medical District. The Michigan Avenue station could reinvigorate that mile-long business corridor, making it the ‘Magnificent Mile South,’ he said.
“This is a catalyst for economic development and branding,” said LaFargue, president of the Red Line Extension Coalition, a community-based group.
Policy analyst Daniel Kay Hertz of the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability says both projects are important and would have significant impact. He estimated a cost of $27 million per mile to convert the Metra Electric’s South Chicago branch into rapid transit. Hertz based that figure off a 2012 Chicago Department of Transportation report which puts the cost of converting MED’s South Chicago branch to Millennium Station — not the entire line — at $350 million. Hertz said there’s no reason the per-mile costs would differ substantially to convert the entire MED line. In comparison, the Red Line extension would cost about $434 million a mile.Finally a brief history of the Metra Electric and the advocacy for it's conversion to a CTA rapid transit line:
“It is basically logistical stuff that they need to do as opposed to the physical engineering and construction of several miles worth of new rail lines and stations,” Hertz said.
The MED originally ran as rapid transit and the line’s South Chicago branch ran every 10 minutes during the 1940s under its then-operator, Illinois Central. That frequency reduced when it became part of the Regional Transit Authority. Now the line has frequent service during peak evening and morning hours but runs every one to two hours during the mid-day.What do you all think? Metra Electric (especially serving segments within the city) converted to the "grey line" operated by CTA or the red line extension which certainly could benefit residents south of 95th through to Altgeld Gardens or perhaps there is a way to make both happen?
The idea to convert the commuter-rail into CTA-style “L” service resurfaced again when transit advocate Mike Payne touted the plan as the Gray Line in the 1990s. It has gained traction in recent years thanks to advocacy groups like Coalition for a Modern Metra Electric and Active Transportation Alliance who want the MED to run every 10-15 minutes. Last year Metra increased mid-day frequency on the line to every 20 minutes between Hyde Park and Millennium Station.
But Metra’s fare structure could create a burden for low-income riders. Metra’s fares are distance-based where CTA charges a flat fee. And since there is no fare integration between Metra and CTA, riders would have to pay two full fares. There’s no fare discount to transfer from one transit system to the other.
The Roseland neighborhood is home to the Lowden Projects, the wild 100s.He mentions a number of incidents that take place in the areas north of 95th Street and I'm sure some of you reading this blog might be offended by being lumped in with Roseland. So allow me to share a map with you below which is of the Roseland Community area which is a larger area than of what's considered the Roseland neighborhood further south. So another reason why I want to have a map to reference for your benefit.
The Roseland neighborhood by far has one of the best outward physical appearances then most of the other top ten neighborhoods.
Roseland has a decent economic base, good homes and schools, this goes against all the usual arguments of why violence is happening in this neighborhood.
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| Roseland community area |
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| From The Chicago Neighborhoods |
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| 347 E. 95th Street - June 2017 |
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| 107 E. 95th Street - June 2017 |
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| Photo credit Levois J. |
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| Closed Shedd School @ 200 E. 99th St. |