Quote:
Originally Posted by Busy Bee
The Yellow Line extension resistance is exhibit A for the consequences of living in a racialized, inequitable and largely segregated society. In any other wealthy industrialized country a rapid transit service to a commercial center like Old Orchard would be welcomed with open arms and universally lauded for bringing additional customers and creating linkages to new markets. Here it's resisted primarily out of prejudicial fears of increased crime and change of character brought about be giving non-automotive access to the largely racial minority economically disadvantaged. Its not about crossing gates and turn signals or noise, its about not wanting the poors, a product of our wildly unequal economic system, in their fiefdom.
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As disappointing as that was, Skokie is changing as more millennials move in and the boomers go to Florida. It might be different if they proposed it today - still opposition, but you might get a lot more community support as well.
Westfield in particular was not supportive of the extension back then. Now that they want to add residential density on the property, they might welcome the train stop with open arms. I know they have been somewhat supportive of the Purple Line extension to Century City mall in LA...
You gotta consider Chicago politics as well. CTA is also controlled by the mayor of Chicago, who has little interest in building up shopping destinations outside of city limits that suck away sales tax revenue. Ideally you want people in Rogers Park, Edgewater etc to go shop on State St or Michigan Ave, not Skokie. I'm not sure Daley put a brick on the project and killed it, but he definitely wasn't pushing it actively.