How has education changed in the last 20 years?

How has Chicago changed in the last 20-30 years?

• It's very clear how steel, railroads, refrigeration, and machinery transformed Chicago in the 19th and 20th centuries. How has the city been affected (or not) by more recent developments in electronics, computers, the Internet, robotics, and biotechnology? Outside the lens of technology and economics, how has the city changed in the last 20-30 years? Which forces have evolved the city since the 1980s (i.e. politics, culture, transit, safety, education, etc)? For longtime residents, how has the "feel" of Chicago changed, if at all?

• Answer:

  Fascinating question. My perspective on Chicago only extends about 20 years (if I stretch it) and is generally going to focus on the north-side and downtown. I didn't grow up here as a child so that is an extreme limitation on my perspective. I'll also probably have to edit this a number of times as new thoughts come to me. Please feel free to correct me in the comment area as I'm just kind of riffing here... I think the biggest change in Chicago has been the re-migration of young professionals (and not so professional)  and their families, from the suburbs and nearby cities back into Chicago proper. I, and my ilk (artists, bohemians, slackers, whatnot), were part of the vanguard and you can see the results in neighborhoods like West Loop, South Loop, Wicker Park, Logan Square, Bucktown, Pilsen etc. The keyword here is gentrification. This has been particularly evident in the last decade with the housing bubble and then subsequent crash, which has filled the preferred eastern and downtown areas with professional homeowners and pushed less affluent families further south and west into the suburbs. Additionally, the past 20 years has seen the near total annihilation of housing projects in the city. Whether this has been good or bad depends on who you ask. Most of the people who lived in these places have been increasingly marginalized and shunted to the southern and western corners of the city. Cabrini Green comin' down. The good news is that the north and near-west sides of Chicago are much nicer in some regards, though much of south-side and suburbs, is suffering economically and socially. For example, gun violence and murder, overall is half of what it was 20 years ago, however, it's been highly concentrated in certain areas. I would say the city is 'nicer ' overall, but there's still a lot of division and pockets of extreme misery. One of the biggest changes has been the increase in tourism in the city. Our main  convention center was rebuilt and some very big conventions come through here. I believe we just hosted the midwestern finals for the NCAA basketball playoffs. The improvements to Grant Park have helped as well. We now have Lollapalooza, as well as the other variety of music festivals, and the Pritzker auditorium makes is a fantastic way to celebrate the arts. Navy Pier was rebuilt within the last 30 years and State Street, Wabash and Michigan avenue have all had some pretty major facelifts. Millenium Park/Pritzker Pavilion. So modern it hurts! Comisky Park was closed and reopened as U.S. Cellular field; the White Sox won a world series. The Bulls won 6 championships, but it's been a long climb back for them. The Cubs still blow, but not much else has changed there; we'll see how long that lasts as I think the Cubs' owners keep talking about moving the tem. The Blackhawks are the current champs, which is cool. And Soldier Field had a giant UFO slapped on top of it and looks like psychedelic as hell. Soldier Field looks like it puked up the future. The Taste of Chicago, once the premier summertime event, has been winding down over the last few years, but that might be due to overall improvement in the  dining scene, which has exploded. Dining is possibly the major attraction in the city currently. We also have a thriving micro-brew and coffee roasting scene in town and some distilleries are cropping up as well. There are farmer's markets in most of the major north-side neighborhoods. None of this was around in any considerable way 20 years ago. This has become THE PLACE to hold your wedding rehearsal dinner. Theater is still big here and improv, stand-up, etc are still flying pretty high. Not only does Chicago often premier major broadway-type productions, we are still the home for some amazing, provocative and experimental theater. I guess this hasn't changed much, maybe just increased in notoriety. These rad dudes both passed away but they left an indelible mark on the city. Though I'm completely biased, I will say there are a number of great live music venues that have cropped up in the past 20 years, though many have also closed their doors. The number one improvement has been the ban on smoking. Still, aside from a few notable acts the local music scene is still essentially local. At least Wilco's still rockin' it. As for tech and industry, there are still some pretty active industrial pockets and Chicago is still the major midwestern hub for rail and commodities. The financial industry rules most of the Downtown area and has only increased over the last two decades, though much of it is now electronic trading rather than pit trading. CME is (I'm pretty sure) the largest exchange conglomerate in the world and has a huge office building on the river. This view hasn't changed much in 100 years. I think my favorite improvement has been the major funding for bicycle improvements all over the city. I hope that Chicago will lead the way in abolishing automobile traffic. That said, we still have major issues with potholes and car accidents, and a lot of the sidewalks are completely blasted. Also, traffic. (EDIT) It's worth noting that Chicago is in the top 5 cities for number of LEED Certified buildings and Illinois is 7th in the nation. The 'greening' of the city has been a huge initiative over the last decade and it's evident when you walk around and see all the community and rooftop gardens. http://www.usgbc.org/sites/default/files/Green%20Building%20Market%20Brief%20and%20Snapshot_Illinois.pdf