"Our History is our Resource": Historic Narrative as Urban Planning Strategy in Chicago's Pullman Neighborhood

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the ways that site and neighborhood history can potentially inform material neighborhood development in the present. The investigation focused on Pullman, a historic area on the south side of Chicago, and conducted interviews with 23 area stakeholders, in addition to comprehensive literature and data analysis. Findings indicate that the historic narrative of the place itself is perhaps less important than the way the community chooses to interact with and institutionalize its own history. In Pullman, neighborhood history was developmentally relevant in three broad categories: history as informing community activism, institutionalization of history across diverse stakeholder groups (community organizations, residents, and businesses), and history as informing design decisions and the preservation of naturally occurring affordable housing. These findings are important for the field of urban planning because they illuminate potential ways to leverage and institutionalize site history as a planning strategy in the present.