THE INJUSTICES Red-Lining Milwaukee The environmental injustice lies with the city's zoning and red lining processes, restricting where certain races and ethnicities could be qualified for purchasing homes. Once neighborhoods like Metcalfe Park became shells of their former prosperous selves, what was left of them were among the few places where minorities, primarily the black community, could get permission from banks to purchase homes. This further dug the trench for these low income families and left them stranded in this industrial ghost town, with no access to transportation and no means to pursue jobs outside of their community. The graphic adjacent represents rankings of desirability of the Milwaukee zoning boundaries, and predictions of how desirable the zone will be in the future. Sector C10 is home to the Metcalfe Park neighborhood and the area of study. Also represented is the rail road system at the time the graphics were made (1940s). This zoning map was used by banks and the City of Milwaukee to determine where people of various economic classes and races could get approved to buy a house. The worst sectors were reserved for the poor and minority communities. Procedural Injustice North Ave. The images adjacent are evidence of a procedural injustice occurring on the southern end of the Metcalfe Park Neighborhood. Before 1970, the block 2300 blocks from Sherman Blvd to The 30th Street Corridor were a part of the vibrant urban fabric of the Sherman Park Community. During 1970, the area underwent massive change when a decision was made by the City of Milwaukee to clear the majority of the residencies connect HWY 41 to I-43, which was still under construction at the time. However, this connection was never built and left the area with this gaping hole in their community. At the time, there was a highway committee which served as part of the Sherman Park Community Association. They had ambitious ideas to revitalize the demolished area and add value to their community.(1) The committee wanted to see restoration of the area, but slow construction and years of uncertainty left this wound open, and the community is still experiencing the adverse effects. This zone was a center for local businesses and a place for the community to connect. The years of government indecision about the construction of the highway made more and more lose faith in the community. The Owner-Occupancy rate began to plummet. (6) The owners started to lose interest in maintaining their properties, dropping the overall value and appeal to investing in this neighborhood. The highway committee's experience during the land demolition demonstrates a lack in fairness of procedure. There must be fair inclusion of community members in policy making and decision making processes which affect their immediate environment. There must be resources available for participation, and the community members must be given equal respect and power in this process. (2) In this case, the residents did not have equal say, and their community suffered greatly as a result. THEN VS NOW North Ave 2018 This adjacent image depicts the current conditions of North Ave between N Sherman Blvd. and the 30th Street Corridor. To this day, the area has still not returned to its original residential density and exists as a empty space filled with large parking lots. 30th Street Corridor This railway cuts through 30th Street which lines the eastern boundary of the neighborhood. The graphics adjacent map the comparison between how many of these industrial plants are still in business versus how many properties and land have been left abandoned and deteriorating. Between 1979 and 1984, Milwaukee lost 50,000 jobs. (6) Allis-Chalmers, an industrial heavy machinery producer, was among the largest to contribute. The company lost 20,000 jobs alone, leaving a gaping hole in the community. (6)This loss of industry led to finical troubles for families of the neighborhood. The once pristine homes in the area began converting into duplex housing systems as more and more could not pay their property taxes. A number of these jobs moved to surrounding suburb locations, but the financially struggling families could not afford reliable transportation to get to these jobs, leaving them stranded in their own neighborhood with vacant factories withering away. This is an example of a distributive injustice. There are both benefits and burdens which must be considered when defining environmental justice. (2) In this case, distribution of beneficial resources in the area quickly vanished and the decline of income made it difficult for people in the area to access resources outside of their neighborhood. Today, the neighborhood must carry the burden of having decrepit properties and tainted land just blocks away from where they sleep. History of Industry - 30th Street Corridor Rail Line: Lloyd St. - North Ave Link https://cdm17272.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/san/id/668 North Ave- Meinecke Ave Link https://cdm17272.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/san/id/636 Meinecke Ave - Clark St Link https://cdm17272.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/san/id/635 Center Street - Hadley Ave Link https://cdm17272.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/san/id/603 Hadley Ave - Locust St Link https://cdm17272.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/san/id/571 Fon Du lac Ave Link https://cdm17272.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/san/id/570 Burleigh St. Link https://cdm17272.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/san/id/1234 Explore The Entire Milwaukee Sandborn Map http://webgis.uwm.edu/agsl/sanborn/ Neighborhood Map In this case study of the Metcalfe Park neighborhood, sustainability translates to walkability. As this neighborhood originally developed, the design rhythm relied heavily on the notion that everything needed to work, live, and grow as individuals was within walking distance (approximately 1/2 mile) of where residents live. Work relied heavily on the industrial plants along the 30th Street Corridor rail line. Growing occurred along the bustling W Center St and W North Ave, where residents could find everything from physical nourishment to entertainment to spiritual growth. Living began filling in the gaps between W Center Street and W North Ave, spawning west from The 30th Street Corridor. Tightly packed single family and 2 story duplex homes quickly filled the area as it developed and began to thrive. The Image and map adjacent show just how different the urban density has become in the area. Notice also the comparison to assets of the neighborhood versus the decay that remains. Explore the Historical MCLIO Map of Milwaukee: https://lio.milwaukeecountywi.gov/Html5Viewer/index.html?viewer=MCLIO-Map Sections The section drawings of 40th street between Clark and Center St. focus primarily on how the elevations within the street itself and the surrounding built environment affect the rhythm of the neighborhood and how residents interact. This layout was designed for residents to engage with one another in particular zones. The lowest elevations, including public streets and sidewalks, provide the most potential for socializing. A contributing factor to this is the street orientated house design and layout, along with the zoning requirements for properties in the neighborhood. Additionally, each house on the block has street orientated porch space, allowing residents to engage with the public street while still maintaining a semi private state. The property zoning regulations minimums require only a 15’ setback, making it possible for residents on their property to engage with those on the street. (4) The sequencing of the section drawings further dissects the different zones of public vs private accessibility. The sequencing, inspired by the works in URBANbuild : Local Global, map the different zones of accessibility both inside and outside of homes. (5) This method allows a visualization into the potential for social ability in each region, with a comparison between sub regions such as Public Street, parking lane, green space, side walk, yard paths, and porch space. The sequencing also allows insight into the sub regions within a residency itself. Drawings |
Current Conditions of North Avenue
Current Conditions of Land Use Along 30th Street Corridor Rail Line
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