Chicago’s Far South and Southeast sides have a lot going for them — the Pullman National Monument, an international port, Big Marsh Bike Park and a new factory for CTA rail cars. The area is also being talked about as a possible spot for the city’s first casino.
But it can be tough to get anywhere without a car. Industrial sites, the Bishop Ford Freeway, rail lines, truck-laden arterial roads and Lake Calumet all create challenges for those biking, walking or using public transit. The CTA Red Line stops at 95th Street, miles short of the city’s southern border, and residents sometimes need multiple buses to get anywhere.
We’re truly in a food desert, a financial desert, a transportation desert, a sidewalk desert, and a whole lot of other deserts
Community and environmental groups are advocating several fixes — including a bike and pedestrian path along 130th Street, reducing the number of lanes along Torrence Avenue and a trail across Lake Calumet. Some money for improvements could come from the state capital bill, or from a casino, but it will take a lot of cooperation from various government and private entities to get it all done, advocates say.
“We’re truly in a food desert, a financial desert, a transportation desert, a sidewalk desert, and a whole lot of other deserts,” said Deloris Lucas, an activist in the Golden Gate neighborhood in the city’s Riverdale community area. “What we’re trying to do is just uplift the community and connect it to all the open spaces in the area.”
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