After census, Oak Park looks at diversity, integration

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Oak Park leaders often speak of how the community is diverse, and with recent results of the 2010 census, they want to try to track them.

The Oak Park Regional Housing Market Advisory Center and Housing Programs Committee hosted a public forum to discuss issues of diversity and integration of 7 to 9 hours, Wednesday at Anderson Center, 820 N. Hayes Ave discuss. The main objective of the discussion will be to promote the results of the 2010 census and plans for the future of diversity in the community.

The census has not all demographic information, but of the race, the white population declined by 2.8 percent and the black population declined by 4.7 percent. The Hispanic population, the third largest population in Oak Park, jumped 48.3 percent. Other minorities such as Asians, have experienced increases as well.

“In the distant past, the discussion focused on the black and white,” said Breymaier. “It has since turned to the diverse multi-ethnic and multi-cultural,” said Rob Breymaier, director of the Oak Park Regional Housing Market Center, which helps people find homes.

The point, he says, is not easy to have a good balance of races and cultures, but to ensure that communities and neighborhoods themselves are not very pronounced. The shelter is to move this through the promotion of people of different races in certain areas to achieve in order to promote diversity.

“Oak Park has a very good integration,” said Breymaier. “How can we support, and put that in a diverse population in an area hyper-separation, which is the way Chicago will continue to bring.”

Rental apartments and play a key role in maintaining integration and diversity for a variety of reasons, said Breymaier. For starters, he says, in contrast to the most expensive single-family homes and condominiums, rental rates for Oak Park is moderated, which may be useful in attracting people of all races.

Rental units range from $ 675 to $ 800 for a studio, $ 800 to $ 1100 for a one-bedroom unit and $ 1,050 to $ 1,695 for a two bedroom apartment. These prices are more expensive than some neighborhoods of Chicago, but still within reach, if not cheaper than many suburbs.

“If (the price) can not be a problem, we will work to find a cure,” he said.

Even after the census is to hire nearly 40 percent of all homes in the town of nearly 16,000 rental units and Oak Parkers. As the tenants move into much more than homeowners, Breymaier said that this lead to a rapid change in the character of the neighborhood.

The discussion on Wednesday evening will be on strategies and techniques, such as how the city residents for potential market, how to work with other local institutions and how you can help interested foreigners find places to live in the village of Oak Park.

For more information on the public forum, call 708-848-7150.

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