Planning Chicago’s Public Housing: A Case Study Evaluation of the Plan for Transformation

As the pressure to address public housing issues and funding or resources become more scarce, urban planners face a challenging professional dilemma. The traditional role of the planner as a community advisor is challenged when private market financing becomes integrated with public housing redevelopment and financial gain must be accommodated within planning. This thesis is a case study on the planning process for the Chicago Housing Authority’s original Plan for Transformation and evaluates both the planning process as it occurred and the theoretical underpinnings of the planning process. The research identifies both discursive and juridical power as a device that catalyzed the planning process and was used to carry the project forward despite vociferous opposition from residents and community activists.