Quote from illinimatt81:
Chicago is going to have more of this I'm afraid. I think we are on a path to return to some version of the 1970s. A lot of the gains made in the 90s and 00s will reverse. There will be white flight to the suburbs as educated people can no longer justify paying higher taxes under Joe Berrios as assessor and who knows what Rahm will do to further encourage people to leave. God help us if one of "the reverends" were to become mayor. People will no longer be able to justify the high price of city living where they pay exorbitant property taxes that are going up shortly and private school tuition. Punitive fees and taxes will continue to drive people to shop elsewhere. The police are being sent to higher crime areas so those paying taxes are not getting the protection they deserve. This will encourage more crime in wealthy areas. There is more worth stealing and fewer police to respond. People will get fed up.
Specific to commercial real estate the parking meter scam has driven lots of business elsewhere. I live on Clark Street in Lincoln Park and I have watched stores close and a normally full street of parked cars largely empty at many times during the day.
What will be left? Entitlement familes, bangers, urban blight. Unfortunately cities rise and decline. We've been in a bull for nearly 20 years. We are about to have a sharp reversal I'm afraid. It's started already. It's really a shame.
We won't face the same future as Detroit, but we certainly will lose a lot of what makes Chicago great today.