Arts & Entertainment
Chicago is a city known for its parks and green spaces, but not every resident has the same access to lush greenery or playgrounds.
This is particularly true for predominantly Latino neighborhoods. According to data from the Trust for Public Lands, Latino communities have 41% less access to green spaces than the average Chicagoan.
Neighborhoods like Brighton Park and Little Village are considered park deserts.
The issue is detailed in a series of new reports thanks to a collaboration from Borderless Magazine, Cicero Independiente and Inside Climate News.
Leslie Hurtado of Cicero Independiente investigated an infrastructure project happening in the town of Cicero: Phil Fuentes Ability Park.
It was conceptualized to be a playground accessible for children of all abilities. The issue, however, is that the park is being built on an industrial site that has toxic soil sitting beneath the surface. The $2.7 million project has caused some controversy over safety concerns and lack of transparency or collaboration with residents.
The town of Cicero has not responded to a request for comment.
Another report from Aydali Campa of Borderless Magazine highlighted the efforts of environmental justice advocates in Brighton Park, home of the Chicago Park District’s new headquarters, and Little Village.
They’re both majority Latino enclaves on the city’s Southwest Side that are categorized as “heat islands” or urban areas that are significantly warmer because of surrounding infrastructure that absorb and reradiate heat. Natural landscapes like forests or bodies of water have the opposite effect.
Campa said she hopes that reporting like hers and Hurtado’s continues to demonstrate to Cook County how the metro area can adapt to climate change in an equitable way.
The city of Chicago in a statement said it is “committed to working toward a cleaner, more equitable future for all Chicagoans” through several initiatives. These include Our Roots Chicago, which has a goal of planting 75,000 trees, and the Climate Infrastructure Fund, which supports neighborhood projects that mitigate the effects of climate change.
You can find Hurtado’s reporting here and Campa’s here.