City of berwyn community profile

Page 1

City of Berwyn, Illinois Community Profile Christopher Tran UPP 502 ● Michael Iverson ● December 6, 2012

“The City of Homes”


Table of Contents Introduction

3

Community Profile

4

Community Overview Neighboring Communities

4 4

Brief History Early Beginnings City of Homes

5 5 6

Demographics and Population Projections Demographics Population Projections Education Attainment Housing Tenure

6 7 8 8 9

Economic Analysis Municipal Budget Employment Business and Industry

10 10 10 11

Land Use Inventory and Analysis Transportation and Utilities Systems Land Use & SWOT Analysis Moving Forward Ecological Sustainability Challenges and Improvements

Appendix Bibliography

2|P a g e


Introduction This report is a community profile for the City of Berwyn, Illinois. It is intended to evaluate important information about the community to establish a baseline understanding prior to any potential planning processes that may follow. To create a thorough profile of Berwyn, information has been collected the U.S. Census Bureau –American Fact Finder, the City of Berwyn, and the Berwyn Development Corporation to name just a few. A key aspect to understanding a community is to research not only its history, but also to analyze the demographic, socio-economic and land use characteristics and trends that lay as a foundation to its existence. Through these lenses, we hope to uncover the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the community and to implement these outcomes into any future planning processes.

One of Berwyn’s community members, Ann Filmer, who was interviewed by the Chicago Tribune, stated that the city is a melting pot that “also blends generations and professions. It’s a really good mix of people…That’s the kind of community that thrives.” (Chicago Tribune) This statement underscores the type of community Berwyn has blossomed into. This profile finds that not only is the community demographically diverse, it is economically and culturally as well.

The diversity of residents from different cultures and education

backgrounds have shed light on the various types of employment positions held within the city. Culturally, ethnic celebrations as well as music festivals can be enjoyed all year round.

Berwyn has locational

advantages being well connected to Chicago via the Chicago “L” system, Metra commuter rail, and the Eisenhower (I-290) and Stevenson (I-90) Expressways.

With such a multi-faceted foundation, the

“community that thrives” will use its strengths to implement adequate policies and planning methods to face pressures of regional growth.

3|P a g e


Community Profile COMMUNITY OVERVIEW The City of Berwyn was first incorporated as a village in 1902, but six years later, on June 6, 1908, Berwyn became a city, receiving its official charter from the State of Illinois. According to the most recent census, 2010, it is home to 56,657residents. Berwyn, approximately ten miles southwest of the largest city in the Midwest, Chicago, is incomparable in size; the total land area is 3.9 square miles. Neighboring Communities Berwyn is snuggled in between two similar, yet distinctly different communities. Oak Park, a more affluent, heterogeneous community in comparison, lies directly north. Cicero, a predominantly Latino/Hispanic community, and less affluent than Berwyn, sits east. (Fig. 1) All three suburban communities share close proximity to the City of Chicago as well as being predominantly residential. Berwyn is bounded by Roosevelt Road to the North, Pershing Road to the South, Lombard Ave to the East, and Harlem Ave to the West.

4|P a g e


BRIEF HISTORY Early Beginnings The land that makes up Berwyn today once was cold marshland. As the glaciers melted at the end of the last ice age, an enormous body of water known as Ancient Lake Chicago was created. As the years passed, Lake Chicago shrunk and became what we now know as Lake Michigan. The former streams connecting the lake to the Illinois River became a swamp known as Mud Lake. Mud Lake extended nearly to the Southern border of today's Berwyn. (Wikipedia) Berwyn was unique in its development process as it encompassed multi-pronged events of purchase, migration and development. Its earliest development began in 1856 when Thomas Baldwin purchased 347 acres of land that he subdivided, hoping to market a community he named LaVergne to strictly affluent residents. He invested heavily in the community as he built many roads and beautified the streets with trees. To encourage people to move to LaVergne, Baldwin sold an 80-foot wide strip of property to the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (CB&Q) in 1862. The rail line opened in 1864, but the train did not stop regularly in the area, and the company refused to build a station. Baldwin and other residents of the area constructed LaVergne Station on Ridgeland Avenue in 1874. Unfortunately for Baldwin, his dream of an affluent suburban community was never realized as he passed in 1876. His daughter Emma, who inherited the land, sold mostly all of it to a group of realtors controlled by Marshall Field. By 1888, the community, under control of the new developer, grew and even erected LaVergne School within its boundaries. That same year, the Illinois Central laid tracks just north of LaVergne, bringing a group of Swedish immigrants who settled along 31st Street from East Avenue to Oak Park Avenue. The area, which became known as Upsala or "Swedetown," soon became well known for its excellent craftsmen and bakeries. (Berwyn Development Corp.) Berwyn as it is known as today had its real beginnings when two real estate partners, Charles Piper and Wilbur Andrews purchased 106 acres of land from the Field realtors for development near the CB&Q rail tracks. Like their predecessor Baldwin, Piper and Andrews built another train station that allowed further access to the area. As the area grew in numbers and the transportation developments occurred, Piper and Andrews sought out names and found one from a Pennsylvania train timetable. Berwyn, a small town west of Philadelphia was an affluent, scenic town. The two hoped that they could replicate that sort of community in Illinois. On May 17, 1890, the Cicero Town Board, which had jurisdiction over the area at the time, gave its approval and Berwyn, Illinois was born. The years following its establishment, Berwyn felt rapid development

5|P a g e


as a foundation of infrastructure was cemented – roads, post office, businesses, churches, schools, and utilities services. Around the same time, another community was developing north of Berwyn. This area first developed in 1887 when the Union Mutual Life Insurance Company built homes for their employees. Originally known as South Oak Park, the new developing area was connected to Berwyn only by two dirt roads—Oak Park and Ridgeland Avenues. Between Berwyn and South Oak Park were many fields and farms that divided the two communities—each had its own churches, stores, public transportation, etc. At the turn of the century— 1901—these two communities would join as the Oak Park school district set boundaries and zones which excluded South Oak Park residents. Stemming from development in growth of Berwyn was the need for a local government. As such, in 1902, Berwyn was incorporated as a village. Just six years later, on June 6, 1908, Berwyn was officially recognized as a city by the State of Illinois. The years that followed saw much more development and spatial restructuring to the rural zone separating the two parts of Berwyn. With an influx of many Czech residents from moving in from Chicago, thousands of new homes were built each year within the vacant lots, which finally brought Berwyn and “South Oak Park” together. City of Homes Berwyn’s housing development boom continued throughout the 1920s, as vacant plots of land, mostly farms and fields, were transformed into new homes. The rate of construction was astounding, as entire blocks were built at once. As Berwyn’s population grew three fold within ten years, foundations for homes were simultaneously laid, walls erected, roofs constructed for the families moving in. The vast prairie land that once were, are now blocks upon blocks of new bungalows. The bungalows are normally one-story buildings with a basement and attic and two to three bedrooms. What are unique to the Berwyn Bungalows are the decorative interior and exterior details; oak woodwork and stained glass windows. Built between the 1920s up until the 1940s, many of the bungalows are uniform in style, with exception to some larger scale two-story constructions. Berwyn, with the highest number of Chicago-style bungalows in the nation, has earned the title, City of Homes.

DEMOGRAPHICS AND POPULATION PROJECTIONS Berwyn’s early history has shown trends of population booms, as well as the influx of minorities—from Swedish households to families with Czech roots.

These two groups,

together with other minority

populations such Italian-Americans, Greeks, Lithuanians, Poles, Yugoslavians and Ukrainians, have been 6|P a g e


joined in recent years by Hispanics, African and Asian Americans who now call Berwyn home. (Berwyn Development Corp.) Outside of the racial demographic make-up of the city, Berwyn’s blue-collar middle class have welcomed young, professional families into the neighborhood as well. Demographics The majority of Berwyn’s residents (60.49%) are white. The three largest minority groups in Berwyn are Hispanic, African American and Asian, which make up 26.62%, 6.7% of the population and 2.2% respectively. (U.S. Census, 2010) The Hispanic and African American populations have been slowly increasing in Berwyn since the 1990s and are newer inhabitants to Berwyn compared to the Czech and Italian-American populations whom have been in Berwyn for generations. Berwyn’s total population as of 2010 was 56,657. There are about an equal amount of females to males within Berwyn; 28,605 are females and 28,052 males. The largest segments of the population are 0-4 year olds and 35-39 year olds, each making up about 8% of the city’s inhabitants. (U.S. Census, 2010) Figure 2 is a population pyramid of Berwyn. It shows that Berwyn is comprised mostly of young and middle age residents and has much less older residents in comparison. The planning process needs to recognize that this population will be aging and need to be planned for. Adequate educational and health care facilities need to be provided for the increased number of residents that will rely on them.

7|P a g e


Population Projections A trend line extrapolation approach is used to examine past data for the population of the City of Berwyn to make an informed projection on the population of the city in 2020 and 2030. Figure 3 reveals an interesting trend within Berwyn’s population over the years. From 1960 until 1990, the population of the city dropped, and since 1990, there has been a consistent increase, which will continue to grow within the next 20 years based on mathematical calculations. This suggests two things about Berwyn’s population –fertility rates rising, as well as in-migration. With projected population increases over the next twenty years, Berwyn must address issues of education, housing, migration and job development.

Education Attainment The City of Berwyn’s educational attainment also gives us another perspective in the demographic make-up of the city. Berwyn has a higher proportion of the population that has completed less than 9th grade, attained an education from 9th to 12th grade with no diploma, and highest level of education attainment is graduating high school. Table 1 below also shows that this demographic has also received some college education, but no diploma. What we can conclude from this data set is that the majority of the

population 25 and over lies within the High School Graduate, Some College/No Degree, and Bachelor’s Degree range. Educational attainment data are important to this economic analysis because of the link 8|P a g e


between high educational attainment and higher paying jobs. Lower educational attainment can reflect or lead to low wages, and thus low purchasing power, two important factors to a local economy. Table 1. Educational Attainment of Men and Women, 25 and Over, in Berwyn, IL, USA, 2006-2010. Level of Educational Attainment Pop. 25 years and over

Less than 9th Grade

9th-12th Grade, No Diploma

High School Graduate

Some College No Degree

Assoc. Degree

Bachelor's Degree

Graduate or Professional Degree

Male

Percent

47%

12.4%

12.6%

33.2%

17.9%

5.2%

12.7%

5.9%

Female

Percent

53%

13.4%

9.6%

29.2%

21.1%

8.8%

11.4%

6.6%

Total

100%

12.9%

11.0%

31.1%

19.6%

7.1%

12.0%

6.3%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American FactFinder, Educational Attainment in Berwyn, 2006-2010

Housing Tenure Berwyn, “The City of Homes,” has a housing stock of roughly 20,719. Out of this total number, 18,598 of the housing units are occupied. Out of this total, approximately 59% of the housing units are owner-occupied, as 41% of them are renter-occupied. Taking a look at Berwyn’s neighbors’, Oak Park and Cicero, housing tenure trends, we see that both of these communities have a higher total housing tenure at 21,938 and 21,643 respectively. Figure 1, listed below, goes into detail the number of renter-occupied and owner-occupied units in each of the three communities. Within Berwyn, 58.9% of the total occupied units are owned. 63.3% of the units are owner-occupied in Oak Park. And as for Cicero, 52.9% are owner-occupied.

9|P a g e


The number of owner-occupied units shed light on the economic structure of each community. It can be inferred that the higher the income of community members, the more leverage they have in home ownership. With the current economic recession, and home mortgage crisis, the amount of rental units has risen as are home foreclosures on the rise. The data was taken from 2006 to 2010, which was before and after both the recession and home mortgage situation. Due to these circumstances, limitations exist within fully analyzing the data provided. Other variables not taken into account which may also contribute to home ownership vis-à-vis renter occupation could be that of employment rates, job market, which both could be linked to educational attainment. Ultimately, from what the data provided reflects, owner-occupied housing in Oak Park is the highest amongst the three, followed by Cicero, then Berwyn. Renter-occupied units are highest in Cicero followed by Oak Park, and lastly, Berwyn. ECONOMIC ANALYSIS Municipal Budget The 2012 annual budget for Berwyn is accessible through the official City of Berwyn website and provides an in-depth overview of the types of the revenues and expenditures for the city. Berwyn’s funding sources is quite extensive as there are over 10 funding sources for the budget. There is a General Fund, Library Fund, Community Development Fund, Capital Project Fund, and four TIF funds from the TIF districts of South Berwyn, Cermak Road, Roosevelt Road, and Ogden Avenue to just name a few. The vast array of funding sources appears to cover the municipality’s expenditures, leaving the city with a projected $5.7 million in surplus. Berwyn’s expenditures can be broken down into administrative costs such as government employee expenditures, public services such as police and fire commissions, as well as planning, zoning, and recreational costs. As of current, the City of Berwyn has not received a GFOA award, but it is in their long term (2-5) goal to obtain one. For a more in-depth view of the 2012 Annual Budget (see Appendix).

Employment An important number to be analyzed when looking at a municipality’s economy is the number of total employed residents over the age of 16. According U.S. Census data’s 5 year Employment Status of the City of Berwyn, the total number of employed residents over the age of 16 is 25,855. This number, compared to the total population size of 56,657 does not take into consideration the number of elderly, retired residents or children. It is inclusive of residents who are able to work. Figure 5 below shows the number of female and males over the age of 16 that are employed. The numbers are virtually split 50/50, as there are a total of 12,941 males employed, and 12,914 females employed, or 51% and 49% respectively. This equal split of employed residents shows some level of equity amongst genders in terms of employment.

10 | P a g e


But by looking into the median incomes of the residents overall and analyzing between genders gives a different picture.

The

total median income of all workers aged 16 and up is $25,852. Males’ median incomes are much higher than females. Working men aged 16 and up had a median income of $30,270, whereas females in the same category only had a median income of $19,750 (U.S. Census Bureau). There are many reasons for the income disparity between males and females including educational attainment, race and ethnicity, and household type, but these variables will not be highlighted in this profile. What we can gather from this data, especially the median incomes of the entire employed sector, is that the city is diverse economically with blue collar workers as well as higher educated folks. On a macro-scale, the median incomes reflect that Berwyn is a lower-middle class to middleclass community. This analysis is further analyzed through Berwyn’s Business and Industry sectors. Business and Industry In the previous sections, we have discussed various characteristics of Berwyn such the history, demographics and population projections, and municipality budget and employment trends to understand the complex nature of city planning. One vital component that drives a city is its business and industry. This report utilizes one tool to gauge the economic development within Berwyn City. Through an analysis of the Location Quotient (LQ), we are able take analyze the economy by sector in regards to the national economic levels. Within this analysis, I have focused upon four different economic sectors, which are divided into classification system, known as North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). The four highlighted here in this analysis include, Manufacturing (42), Retail (44/45), Health Care/Social Assistance (62), and Accommodation/Food Services (72). The intent to choose specifically these four NAICS is because they represent a very diverse range of economic activity within not only Berwyn as a community, but the general landscape of the national economy.

11 | P a g e


Table 2 below reveals each Location Quotient for each of the abovementioned NAICS. But before we analyze what the meaning of each LQ listed, we must first look into what the numbers represent. There are three important LQ values that shed light on the economic activity of the community. If the LQ is equal to 1, this means that the region has the same proportion of economic activity in that particular sector as the nation. The region just meets its local consumption requirements through local production of the specified good or service. If the location quotient is less than one, the region is not producing enough to meet local needs. If the location quotient is greater than one, the region has a larger proportion of its economy in the specified sector than the nation, and the excess can potentially be exported.

Applying these standards to the numbers listed in Table 2, we are able to dig deeper into the economic activity of Berwyn in each sector. Since Berwyn is a city of homes, mostly residential, manufacturing has taken a back seat in regards to sector within the community. The LQ for the manufacturing industry is .48062, which is much less than the standard 1. What this means is that within the city of Berwyn in regards to consuming manufactured goods, the city itself is not producing enough to meet the citizens’ demands. This reveals two key points in regards to the relation of this sector with the community. The first of which is that Berwyn must import manufactured goods in order to meet the demands of the people. The second is the economy is service sector focused, and perhaps many of the blue collar jobs exist outside the boundaries of the community. The NAICS – Retail and Accommodation/Food Service – are double that of the manufacturing sector within the city limits of Berwyn. Both of these sectors’ LQ is just a little over the standard 1, which reveals that these two sectors are meeting the local demands. There is just enough GAP stores to cloth the residents; just enough Long John Silver chains to feed those craving fish and chips. Both of these sectors reveal that residents of the City of Homes consume more than that of the national average. What can further be inferred from the Location Quotients is that people have buying power. Buying power translates to disposable income. Through this analysis, it could be seen that Berwyn’s economy may be stable.

12 | P a g e


The final NAICS listed in Table 3 that stands out is that of Health care/Social Assistance. The LQ is a staggering 3.16846, which is three times the national LQ of Health care/Social Assistance. This reveals that hospitals, health care facilities within Berwyn are used by others within the Chicago land area. When the LQ is greater than one, it means that this service is exported to other communities. Out of all of the NAICS listed above, the Health care/Social Assistance one is by far the greatest. As such, a vital component to driving Berwyn’s economy is through the Health care industry. The Location Quotient is important to understand the local economy in comparison to that of the National. The greater the LQ, the stronger the economy; but to what extent can we fully understand the industries listed above? These numbers show the economy in the current time, but do not reveal if these industries are growing or shrinking. This report simply focuses on the LQ for these four NAICS, but to complete a ShiftShare analysis would strengthen the economic analysis of the City of Berwyn. LAND USE ANALYSIS Transportation & Utilities The land use pattern is further enhanced by a comprehensively integrated transportation network (see Appendix). Though just 3.90 square miles, Oak Park’s transportation network consists of direct connections to Chicago’s downtown and South-West side via the 3 CTA line (Blue, Green and Pink lines) in addition to 2 CTA Bus routes, 8 PACE bus routes, the Metra Union Pacific West Line, and the Stevenson and Eisenhower expressways (Berwyn Comprehensive Plan, CMAP, 2012). This means that residents living in Berwyn have easy access to the Second City. Additionally, through the Active Transport Alliance’s Active Transportation Plan, Berwyn is making improvements on sustainable alternatives of transportation such as biking. The plan outlines pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure improvements to be implemented within the near future. (see Appendix) In regards to utilities, the city has created the Utility Fund to replace the previous Water and Sewer Fund. The difference between the old and new funds is the incorporation of garbage service which was previously accounted for in the General Fund. The Utility Fund is used to account for all costs of providing water and sewer service and garbage service to the residents and businesses within the City of Berwyn. The most recent election has which voted Yes for the electricity referendum allows the municipality to find the most cost-effective electric energy supplier for its residents. Berwyn has made efforts to improve both of these types of uses for their residents. Land Use and SWOT Analysis 13 | P a g e


Land Use Analysis Berwyn’s title as the “City of Homes” is dominantly represented through its land usage. Viewing the community through the land-use lens allows one to analyze much more than its actual physical, spatial structure. As Berwyn is a predominantly residential city, we must not forget the other forms of land-use within a community – commercial, industrial, institutional, transportation, and open space. How do these other forms of land-use, specifically in Berwyn, where there almost seems to be a lack of emphasis within these realms, reveal a greater picture of the city’s function? By analyzing each type of land-use, we are able to find the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of Berwyn.

By first analyzing the City of Berwyn’s name –“City of Homes”—we come to think of a predominantly residential community, where the topics of housing is key to the conversation. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 5-year survey on housing within the City of Berwyn, the total number of occupied homes is roughly 18,000. Out of this total, about 11,000 housing tenures are owner-occupied. The remaining 7,000 is renteroccupied. Table 3 above reveals how many acres of land are used towards housing within Berwyn. Close to 2000 acres of land, or 80% of the total land (Figure 6) is used for housing (single-family and multi-family). With such a high concentration of housing land-use, this reveals what some may view as a strength. The emphasis on home ownership and prominence of single family homes within a community is often times aligned with the idea of affluence. Through this lens, we can see that the community’s strength is through the slogan, “City of Homes”. Contrary to the single-family land-use within Berwyn, its emphasis on industry is lacking. Figure 1 shows that only 1% of the land-use within Berwyn is industry focused. The lack of industry reflects the types of jobs available within the community. With only 1% of the land-use going towards industrial, manufacturing, we can safely assume that it is a more service-oriented economy. The Economic Characteristics seen through the U.S. Census Bureau’s data shows that there are a little over 3,600 people within Berwyn that work within manufacturing. According to the Geographic Areas Series of Berwyn’s Economy in 2007, we see that the

14 | P a g e


total number industry based jobs within Berwyn is only 503. This stark comparison reveals that many of the residents who may be living in Berwyn employed within the manufacturing field are leaving the city to work. Since the industrial land-use is at a meager 1%, it appears the weakness within Berwyn is job accommodation to a large portion of its residents. SWOT Analysis Analyzing how land-use reflects the economy through another lens, we can see that despite only 1% of land is designated as industrial, 11% of the land within Berwyn is for commercial usage. The opportunity within Berwyn is that this sector within the economy can grow. Within many other cities around the globe, the trend of development is that from industrial to a mixed economy of industry and service, to one that is service sector dominant. Though Berwyn is known as a residential community, the third largest sector of land-use is geared towards commercial. What this ultimately reflects is the opportunity to develop into a destination right outside of Chicago that attracts city dwellers or other suburbanites to visit. The rise of entertainment, restaurants and attractions are key factors on how to develop Berwyn even further. Its 11% commercial land-use is reflective of this opportunity. Expanding Berwyn’s commercial base may be a challenge as there is only 2% open space (Figure 6). As much of the land is already occupied, this opportunity to expand reveals a two-fold threat. On the first layer, the economic shifts and progress of a community is dependent upon the capabilities to build. On the other hand, the lack of actual open space within the community gives rise to the issues affecting the natural environment. The built environment creates this idea of a manufactured landscape which is directly correlative to that of the natural environment. The question that arises is how to develop Berwyn’s economy without threatening the already lacking open space within the community. Ecological concerns surface, the amount of resources, climate change, and “green-ness” of a city follow. These issues reflect the threats that Berwyn faces—a completely concrete, manufactured community filled with homes, commercial spaces, where green spaces lack. Land-use is important; it allows us as planners to comprehend the larger issues at hand –the economy, environmental concerns and population demographics.

Through land-use analysis, we are able to

understand the type of community Berwyn is currently – a predominantly residential area outside of the city, with a small service-sector economy. Furthermore, we are able to project the opportunities, and realize the threats that the community faces. Should Berwyn grow, should it increase construction of commercial buildings? These plans may positively impact the already service-sector based economy, but at what cost? As much as we can gather from the current land-use within Berwyn today, these observations, and

15 | P a g e


consequently, the analysis of these observations could also very well shape and reshape the land-use of the future within the “City of Homes.”

MOVING FORWARD Ecological Sustainability Within the 21st Century, sustainable development is highly relevant to the course that communities develop. Berwyn, a suburb of Chicago is included within this global discussion. It is undeniable, at the rate of development and growth today, our Earth’s resources are depleting and may one day no longer be able to support the lifestyles we live, not only as individuals, but as a society globally. A method which measures how sustainable we are living on a global scale is through calculating our Ecological Footprint, which is the required land area to provide resources as well as absorb emissions of global society. Equally important is the idea of Carrying Capacity, which is the limit of nature’s supply to provide our global society with resources. The Ecological Footprint can be divided into different categories of consumption which are dependent on the Earth’s supply of resources. These four categories reflect the types of Earth’s resources that are needed to sustain our lifestyles. Figure 7 reveals that the global average of all four categories is much lower than that of the United States. The City of Berwyn’s Ecological Footprints within these categories is much higher than that of the global society. The U.S., among other nations, has the highest in levels of consumption. As a

16 | P a g e


“typical” neighborhood within the United States, following American lifestyle and consumption patterns show that the City of Berwyn’s footprint far exceeds the Earth’s resources (see Table 4)

What this reveals is that within the planning future, along with all the aforementioned analysis –population, educational attainment, housing, and economic factors—the environment must be included as well. For the City of Berwyn to develop well into the 21st Center and beyond, these types of ecological analysis need to be focused upon and incorporated into Berwyn’s Municipality goals.

Challenges and Improvements Berwyn’s population is likely to increase in the next decades and with this increase in population will need to address plans to further develop the community. In our analysis thus far, we have highlighted both population trends as well as economic ones. The issues of concern for Berwyn’s future are that of both education attainments linked with economic development, and housing stock. As seen above, the highest level of educational attainment amongst its residents is that of high school. Only a minority of the total population has graduated from higher education.

This has impacts with the 17 | P a g e


community’s economy as well in regards to jobs and economic development. Through our analysis, we have seen that the median income for the City of Berwyn is only in the mid- 20,000 range which may be reflective of its educational attainment. As for business and industry, it appears that the city has an abundance of healthcare and social services, which reveals a solid foundation of institutions. As for housing within the city of Berwyn, homes are owner-occupied than renter-occupied. Though not fully analyzed within this community profile, the many homes within the “City of Homes” are aging. Berwyn’s Bungalow homes are very valuable but older and will need to be invested into in the future by the residents. If the residents cannot afford to improve their homes the housing stock in Berwyn, which is currently one of its greatest assets could become depleted. Berwyn’s land use needs to be carefully analyzed to ensure that it can properly sustain itself. The planning process should consider what the community needs to sustain itself while taking advantage of surrounding opportunities. It can be sustained in conjunction with relying on its surrounding areas but this should be carefully analyzed to ensure that Berwyn has a healthy place within its region in the future. The effort that Berwyn has currently taken with transportation development is contributing to this future development. Along with these many challenges and strategies taken for improvement, the City of Berwyn must incorporate, within each realm of development, the idea of sustainability in order to improve its ecological footprint. Berwyn, with its centennial celebration just 4 years prior, will have to develop sustainably within the next century as environmental concerns are a real issue throughout the globe today. Now, just as in those early times, Berwynites are justly proud of "Beautiful Berwyn." With its tree-lined streets, sturdy brick bungalows, Berwyn continues to be a stable, safe, and diverse community, but must embrace of an effective, comprehensive plan so that this image can be realized within the next century. With the continuing efforts of its homeowners, business community, civic organizations, and city government, Berwyn looks forward to its "second century" as it celebrates its rich and varied past.

18 | P a g e


Appendix City of Berwyn General Fund Summary: 2012 Budget

19 | P a g e


Transportation Map of City of Berwyn, 2012

20 | P a g e


Bicycle Network Map, City of Berwyn 2012

21 | P a g e


Zoning Map, City of Berwyn

22 | P a g e


23 | P a g e


Bibliography Chicago Tribune Article, “ < http://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/realestate/Cook_County_IL/chiberwyn_profile_chomes_0522may22,0,7966556.story> Berwyn Development Corporation, Transportation < http://www.berwyn.net/transportation> 2012 Annual Budget, City of Berwyn Web. Retrieved December 4, 2012 < http://www.berwynil.gov/Portals/0/pdfs/clerk/2012_Final_Budget.pdf> Berwyn, Active Transportation Plan, Active Transportation Alliance. Web. Retrieved December 5, 2012< http://www.berwyn-il.gov/Portals/0/PDFs/Forms/berwynactivetransportationplan.pdf> Why Berwyn. Web. Accessed November 30, 2012 < http://whyberwyn.com/live/bungalows-homes/> City of Berwyn: The City of Homes. City of Berwyn, 2012. Web. Sept. 2012 http://www.berwynil.gov/AboutBerwyn.aspx 1910-2010 Population data from U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division, http://www2.census.gov/ Accessed October 8,2012 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-year estimates, Selected Social Characteristics, American FactFinder. Retrieved November 28, 2012, from http://factfinder2.census.gov 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Selected Economic Characteristics, American FactFinder. Retreived November 28, 2012, from http://factfinder2.census.gov 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Selected Housing Characteristics, American FactFinder. Retrieved November 28, 2012, from http://factfinder2.census.gov 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Selected Educational Attainment, American FactFinder. Retrieved November 28, 2012, from http://factfinder2.census.gov

24 | P a g e


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.