North Town Village

The North Town Village was built with a long term goal of lasting beauty, survival, and practicality (Fleming, 132). The main intention of the development of this mixed income community was to take advantage of the prime location and proximity to transportation in order to “revitalize the Cabrini Green neighborhood" and to encourage interaction between families of various incomes (Fleming, 145).

"Halsted North Project:"

- 50% of the units were rented or sold at market rate, 30% were reserved for public housing eligible families, 20% were “affordable” to persons making "no more than either 120% of a.m.i. (for-sale) (Fleming, 133)

- elevator buildings of 4-6 stories (Fleming, 134)

- three bedroom apartments or condos (Fleming 134)

- "vision of a beautiful, sage, and affordable community" (Fleming, 134)

"brick facades, masonry trim, frequent cornices, and large windows" (Fleming, 134)

The intention of this development is that the financially differently families who essentially lived side by side in the neighborhood should get along primarily because of their proximity (Fleming, 132). The firm understood that in order to make this project work however, they could not just rely on the residents living so close to one another. They not only needed to make the community "beautiful, practical, and long-lasting," but also make sure that the poor acted up to the standards of the rich. This is the reason why there were also staged measures taken to increase the interaction between families and ensure a uniform neighborhood, intending to further strengthen the resident's relationships. The real effects on the families however, are debatable.

Outside view of the community

The interior of one of the residential living spaces

Analysis:

There are many rhetorical aspects of North Town Village, primarily because of the numerous purposefully designed parts of the architecture. Though most of the staged measures were in the form of meetings, there were a couple architectural ones as well. In addition to the obvious intention of the proximity of living spaces, the designer also included many common, open spaces with the goal of guiding those living there in conversing, observing, and learning about each other. These open paths, decks, and common lawns were all designed to promote a sense of safety, community, and unity.

In terms of the staged attempts at bringing the community together, there is still the large problem that the rich and poor are inherently different in ways that weekly meetings and "storytelling" cannot fix. In some ways, these efforts may have even further drawn attention to the differences between them and increased the distance between these families with various incomes. The exterior of these houses and the location to supermarkets and other stores are still aimed towards those who are more well-off in the community. It can be argued that the poor are even more alienated in North Town Village, their circumstances made even more obvious by their richer neighbors and the "stories" they may tell. Though the intentions of the designer were well-intended, it seems that the real effects of the architecture of this community may not have lived up to its ambitious intentions. 

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