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In this book, Sue Popkin tells the story of how an ambitious-and
risky-social experiment affected the lives of the people it was
ultimately intended to benefit: the residents who had suffered
through the worst days of crime, decay, and rampant mismanagement
of the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA), and now had to face losing
the only home many of them had known. The stories Popkin tells in
this book offer important lessons not only for Chicago, but for the
many other American cities still grappling with the legacy of
racial segregation and failed federal housing policies, making this
book a vital resource for city planners and managers, urban
development professionals, and anti-poverty activists.
In this book, Sue Popkin tells the story of how an ambitious-and
risky-social experiment affected the lives of the people it was
ultimately intended to benefit: the residents who had suffered
through the worst days of crime, decay, and rampant mismanagement
of the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA), and now had to face losing
the only home many of them had known. The stories Popkin tells in
this book offer important lessons not only for Chicago, but for the
many other American cities still grappling with the legacy of
racial segregation and failed federal housing policies, making this
book a vital resource for city planners and managers, urban
development professionals, and anti-poverty activists.
Since the late 1970s, the high-rise developments of the Chicago
Housing Authority (CHA) have been dominated by gang violence and
drugs, creating a sense of hopelessness among residents. Despite a
lengthy war on crime, costing hundreds of millions of dollars, the
CHA has been unable to reduce the violence that makes life
intolerable. Focusing on three developments--Rockwell Gardens,
Henry Horner Homes, and Harold Ickes Homes--Sue Popkin and her
co-authors interview residents, community leaders, and CHA staff.
The Hidden War chronicles the many failed efforts of the CHA to
combat crime and improve its developments, offering a vivid
portrait of what life is like when lived among bullets, graffiti,
and broken plumbing. Most families living in these developments are
headed by African American single mothers. The authors reveal the
dilemmas facing women and children who are often victims or
witnesses of violent crime, and yet are dependent on the
perpetrators and their drug-dominant economy. The CHA--plagued by
financial scandals, managerial incompetence, and inconsistent
funding--is no match for thegang-dominated social order. Even
well-intentioned initiatives such as the recent effort to demolish
and "revitalize" the worst developments seem to be ineffective at
combating crime, while the drastic changes leave many vulnerable
families facing an uncertain future. The Hidden War sends a
humbling message to policy makers and prognosticators who claim to
know the right way to "solve poverty."
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