Category Archives: Sociology

How does a story about a band’s tour bus dumping waste on a tourist boat enter a city’s “pop culture fabric”?

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On August 8, 2004, the driver of the tour bus for the Dave Matthews Band emptied the bathroom waste as they crossed over the Chicago River. The waste fell on passengers in a tourist boat passing below.

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Lots of things happen in big cities. Some stories are stranger or more influential than others. But how might one story get commemorated for years? Which cultural narratives last? One non-profit leader described this particular story:

“The incident is woven into the city’s pop culture fabric, and the anniversary seemed like an opportunity to emphasize that the world has to protect our natural resources, but it didn’t work out,” Frisbie said of the effort.

The article on the 20th anniversary provides some hints on how this story caught on and continues to be told. To go beyond a story that the people involved tell over and over, some help is needed:

-Famous people involved. The music group was well-known with multiple #1 platinum albums under their belt. This was not a random tour bus.

-Criminal charges and a court case. This involves different public bodies and can keep a story in the news.

-The media. A strange but true story – bathroom matters! a famous band! charges! – is a good one to get attention. And can we expect stories on the 25th anniversary, the 30th, and so on?

I am sure it would be hard to measure but it would be interesting to look at how this story stacks up against other stories in the city of Chicago. Which ones stand the test of time? Does this one make it into “official” lore (books, museums, memorials, etc.)? What is the half-life of pop culture stories in Chicago?

Commemorating the portage that led to the creation and flourishing of Chicago

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I recently visited the Chicago Portage National Historic Site in Lyons, Illinois. Here are some images from the site:

The importance of traveling via water meant that portage sites were important. This site was one of the places where it was easier to move watercraft from the Great Lakes system to the Mississippi River system. It was not the only portage site allowing that connection but it became known and then improved on in the mid-1800s with a canal.

The site now is somewhat obscured off a major local road and close to a major interstate. The area is mostly industrial land with few houses nearby. Chicago is a transportation center but a portage is no longer needed. There are still canal waterways nearby but these have receded in importance to and status in Chicago compared to railroads, highways, and airports. Chicago is still a transportation center but a portage is no longer needed.

The Chicago Portage Wikipedia page has lots of details.

Creating collaborative archives in historic skyscrapers

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Finding new uses for two historic Chicago buildings slated for demolition led to an interesting proposal. First, the status of the buildings:

Image from June 2021, Google Street View

The U.S. General Services Administration released its final environmental impact report for the Century and Consumers buildings at 202 S. State St. and 220 S. State St., and also a smaller building between them, at 214 S. State St., ultimately choosing to reuse the vacant buildings rather than demolish them.

In 2022, Congress earmarked $52 million for the demolition of the buildings, with the federal government, which owns the buildings, arguing the buildings pose a security risk to the U.S. courts. The buildings back up against the Dirksen Federal Building on Dearborn Street.

Second, here is a proposed use for the buildings:

Preservation Chicago at one point had lined up 20 religious orders, including Dominican University in River Forest, that are interested in converting the Century and Consumers buildings, 202 and 220 S. State St., into the proposed Chicago Collaborative Archive Center.

Museums and other non-religious entities could have space there also, said Preservation Chicago Executive Director Ward Miller.

Those advocating to save them in this manner also argue that archival storage would minimize any security threat and allow windows facing the federal building to be sealed off.

“A collaborative archive of this proposed size is rare in the country,” Christopher Allison, a historian and director of the McGreal Center at Dominican University in River Forest had said in 2022. “It would become a major hub for archive-based research and would consolidate precious sources in one space.”

While some might see the potential for real estate redevelopment on prime Loop property or hold security concerns, having spent some time in smaller archives, this sounds like a win for archives and researchers. I can imagine some benefits of taking multiple smaller archives and putting them in one place. Efficiencies in storage and staffing. The ability to connect archival items and ideas in one place. Ease for researchers looking for material on related topics and in different collections. The possibilities of expanding collections with combined powers and status.

Plus, do archives and older buildings go well together? Archives can of course be newer settings and spaces designed for the task. Buildings designed specifically for archives could provide particular advantages. Yet, given the interest in some places in historic preservation and efforts to help people know and understand the past in archives, does putting them together regularly enhance the ethos of both?

New American homes down in square footage in 2023

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Census Bureau data for 2023 shows new American homes are a little smaller:

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But as the cost of buying a home has exploded and McMansions have fallen out of favor, homebuilders have reversed course, building smaller homes with an eye to first-time buyers. In 2023, the median single-family home built was 2,233 square feet, down 9% from the 2015 peak, with many formal dining rooms and “bonus” rooms disappearing…

Homebuyers are warming up to the idea of smaller dwellings: According to an April study from the National Association of Homebuilders, the typical buyer wants a home that is 2,067 square feet — still smaller than the typical new home size last year…

There are signs those efforts might be helping buyers get in the door: The median sales price of existing homes jumped to $426,900 in June, according to the National Association of Realtors, while the median price of new homes in June was $417,300, according to the US Census Bureau.

Three thoughts in response:

  1. It will be interesting to watch the long-term trends. The article marks 2015 as a peak. Does this mean homes will continue to get smaller in the coming years?
  2. Connected to #1, how much do Americans want smaller homes or how much do housing prices constrain what Americans expect and want? The first option could be connected to Americans having less stuff. If you buy more consumer goods, you need somewhere put them. But if you stream everything and prioritize experiences, perhaps a house is not needed as much for storage. Or if household sizes are decreasing, smaller homes could be fine. In contrast, if mortgage rates went down or housing prices became more attainable for people, would they once again want bigger houses?
  3. The figures above suggest the new homes are slightly lower in price than existing homes. But the newer smaller homes are still pretty expensive. At what price point and square footage would a bunch of potential homebuyers be able to jump into the market? Where do these lines cross on a graph? A median of 1,800 square feet at $340,000 (very hypothetical)?
  4. From the Census data, it may be worth noting that since 1999 the percent of new homes completed at 3,000 square feet or higher has always been a minority of the market (at 31% in 2015). Now this size is a smaller segment of the market as the mid-size new homes percentages are up (1,400 to 2,399 square feet).

Bureaucracy misses property tax assessments, property owners can pay up to 3 years later

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A report on errors in property assessments by the Cook County assessor’s office includes this summary of Illinois legislation:

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State law allows county assessors to back-tax property owners for up to three years of missed assessments, even when the homeowners did nothing wrong.

This can have serious consequences:

A homeowner in Northbrook was hit with a nearly $7,800 bill in back taxes this year after the home, built by 2022, was added to the rolls in 2023. The assessor’s office had the permit data on file, records show.

That homeowner’s next door neighbor was hit even harder…

Finished in 2020, it sold for nearly $1.4 million the same year. The owners paid less than $1,800 in property taxes last year because the assessor’s office listed it as vacant land for three years before realizing their error.

Their bill this year: more than $93,000. The sum includes more than $67,000 in back taxes.

In an even more extreme case, Kaegi’s office classified an $11 million lakefront house in Winnetka as vacant until 2022, even though its construction was completed in 2020. This year, its owner owes $651,346 in property taxes, including more than $370,000 in back taxes from 2020 and 2021 — more than 4% of all property taxes being collected by the village of Winnetka this year.

The bulk of the story is about the difficulty the assessor’s office has had in keeping up with current property values. From it not being the top priority to not being able to keep up with all the data they have to not getting the data in the first place, it sounds like there are multiple areas to improve in.

So I wonder about the consequences of this passed along to property owners. They might have choices in local elections about who is in this position. They tend to assume the local government is doing their job. Yet I would guess this position is not the radar screen of most people. They might not be very aware of how to appeal their taxes or how their taxes are calculated. They get their taxes each year and pay the bill.

There is even a story in the article about a property owner who realized their taxes were probably low and tried to ask about it. Nothing happened.

If property taxes are important to local government – and I know they are – then it would behoove them to be on top of assessing properties, collecting taxes, and working with the public.

River deltas in miniature, sandy form

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With river deltas providing rich farm land plus access to other places via the river and what the river connects to, deltas around the world have been important sites for human settlements.

On a recent trip, I found a spot where water flows down a bluff before heading for a large lake. Here is what it can look like:

The image shows how even a small flow of water, strengthened by recent rains, can push sand in a distinctive pattern. With enough water, the delta would grow and the stream would cross the beach and make it to the lake.

Even in a world devoted to technology and online activity, how many major cities and nations continue to rely on deltas and settlements at the mouth of rivers?

(See an earlier post about another depiction of a delta – this depiction made by humans.)

Large wealth disparities in Chicago by race and ethnicity

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A new report shows differences in wealth and assets by race and ethnicity in Chicago:

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Disparities across groups are stark. According to the study, data collected in 2022 showed Chicago’s white families have the highest median net wealth ($210,000), while typical Black families report no wealth ($0). Chicago’s U.S.-born Mexican families have 19% ($40,500) of a typical white family’s wealth, while foreign-born Mexican families have 3% ($6,000) and Puerto Rican families have 11% ($24,000).

As for median asset values, Black families have $20,000, foreign-born Mexican families have $26,000 and white families have $325,500.

The study also found Black families had the lowest estimated rate of home ownership at 34%, while white families had the highest at 72%, reflecting the city’s historic discrimination against people of color through redlining, racial covenants, a lack of checking or savings accounts, and payday lending, where unsecured loans with high interest rates are used as emergency financing that keeps borrowers in a cycle of long-term debt.

The researchers asked people about possible interventions:

“The Color of Wealth in Chicago” study also surveyed people about potential policy proposals for addressing structural economic disparities. Data shows that public support for interventions on local and federal levels would have a meaningful impact on racial wealth inequities. Wealth-building options such as guaranteed income projects, a Medicare for All program, and baby bonds, which are government-issued trust accounts for newborns, garnered support from the bulk of respondents, including families at or above the median net worth.

Wealth matters because it affects all kinds of life chances, including where people live, access to education and medical care, and nearby jobs.

While these figures echo national patterns, Chicago (and the region) also has a particular history that contributed to these gaps. See a recent court settlement intended to help address public housing discrimination or efforts in nearby Evanston to provide reparations for housing or suburban discussions about who affordable housing is intended for. To assume that federal and/or state policies alone will address these disparities misses the potential to develop and harness local collective will and resources. Wasn’t this part of conversations about the legacy of former mayor Rahm Emanuel and whether his policies favored downtown or the whole city? Could the whole region come together to address these concerns (which are not just limited to the city of Chicago)? Wouldn’t addressing these disparities now help lead to a better future for more people?

90% of songs are about love?

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Music critic Ted Giola considers the content of songs and what music critics tend to write about:

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Music critics are especially ashamed of love songs. Ninety percent of pop songs are about love, as critic Dave Hickey pointed out, but critics prefer to write about the other ten percent.

I would be interested to see quantitative data for this claim. Love is a popular theme – but nine out of every ten songs? Does this mainly involve hit songs, works from major artists and labels and everyone else, and does the pattern hold across time periods? Would the music-selecting algorithms choose love songs across genres and artists? Text analysis of lyrics could look at the presence of certain words and sentiments. Analysis of music could consider whether the musical patterns in songs involving love are unique or follow particular patterns. (And then what is so different in lyrics and/or music in the other ten percent of songs?)

If the claim is true, perhaps we need music that says “Love Makes the Music World Go Around” (in addition to “Love Makes the World Go ‘Round,” “Love Makes the World Go Around,” and “Love Make the World Go Round“).

Where the houses are large and household size is declining, Australia edition

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A recent report suggests Australia has the biggest houses in the world even though the number of people living in their homes is declining:

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The research found two thirds of homeowners across the nation live in a house with an average size of 214 sqm, followed by New Zealand and the United States with a typical home 200 sqm in size…

Australia has an average household size of just 2.5 people, with nearly half of the population living in 2-3 person households, the figures found…

Nearly a quarter of Australian households consist of only one person, although that’s not as bad as Denmark, where almost 40 per cent of citizens live by themselves…

The data was collected from reports provided by World Population Review, Statista, Eurostat and official census data.

This has some parallels to the United States where more people are living alone and houses are large.

Are there causal effects between these two statistics? Do people today generally want more individual living space? Does having a larger house lead to having a smaller household? Or are these two social features produced by separate factors?

One other interesting feature of this article: large houses are called McMansions. The opening line of the story:

It’s official: Australia is the king of the McMansion.

I would argue not all large houses are McMansions. For example, a 2,500 square foot home in the United States is likely not a McMansion (though it could be due to its architectural features or it is a tearown next to smaller homes). A 10,000 square foot home is probably too big to be a McMansion. Using McMansion as shorthand for large houses in general obscures the different kinds of big houses and how they interact with neighborhoods and communities.

Extended settlement to Gautreaux case addressing Chicago public housing discrimination

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Public housing discrimination has a long history in Chicago. The courts just granted an extension to the settlement to a 1966 case addressing the issue:

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The case, Gautreaux v. Chicago Housing Authority, was a class-action lawsuit brought on behalf of public housing resident and community organizer, Dorothy Gautreaux, and it sought to end systemic racial discrimination in Chicago’s public housing. The lawsuit alleged CHA discriminated by concentrating poor black residents in high-rises in segregated communities and not allowing them the opportunity to move into public housing communities in white neighborhoods. The case went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which sided with the residents and determined that they were being isolated to specific neighborhoods.

Attorneys for both sides negotiated a settlement in 2019, with CHA agreeing to continue developing scattered site housing and engage in discussions on how to improve the housing voucher mobility program. The settlement also called for CHA to provide a detailed schedule to complete mixed-income housing complexes, and create early learning childhood development programs at four existing public housing developments. The original settlement was to last for five years, and if CHA failed on its promises, it could return to court. 

Both CHA and the plaintiffs returned to court recently , as they agreed there were outstanding requirements to be met at six development projects, according to a joint motion filed with the court on Tuesday…

According to the new terms of the settlement agreement, CHA will have one to three years, depending on the project, to complete certain development plans, including for Altgeld Gardens, Lakefront Properties, Madden/Wells, Rockwell Gardens, Stateway Gardens and Robert Taylor Homes. Both parties did agree, however, that CHA had met its obligations to build public housing in areas outside segregated Black neighborhoods, so the housing authority will no longer be subject to court oversight for that part of the agreement.

In a country pretty opposed to public housing, I hope the extension leads to more housing opportunities.

This is also a reminder of the long legacies of housing discrimination and residential segregation. The kind of housing discrimination in public housing experienced in Chicago in the mid-twentieth century may not be legal now but it has effects nearly six decades later. And court orders and settlements may be the most direct ways to lead to change. (See also the Mount Laurel case in New Jersey) compared to legislation (see difficulties in Illinois and other states).