The Chicago Housing Authority’s Lathrop Homes have stood at the intersection of Diversey, Clybourn and Damen Avenues since the late 1930s. The homes were scheduled for major renovations. According to the CHA, the changes will help integrate residents into the surrounding community and make the buildings more environmentally sustainable.

The renovations fell under the CHA’s Plan for Transformation, the plan that brought down high rise projects like Cabrini-Green and delivered a new mix of market-rate and subsidized housing to other developments. However, Lathrop residents and community members were concerned that the approach to other sites might not be right for Lathrop. Aaron Renn, an urban planner who has written about Lathrop Homes on his blog, Urbanophile and Veronica Gonzalez, the CHA’s development manager.

Music Button: Sounds from the Ground, “Blink”, from the album High Rising, (Waveform)