Talking to Hyde Park Locals- Richard

This week's featured Hyde Park local is Richard, owner of a computer software development and training company. Here are his thoughts on the neighborhood:

How long have you lived in Hyde Park? What brought you to the neighborhood and/or what keeps you here?
15 years-- I moved here from NYC. My former mother in law lived in Regents Park, and I really liked it on visits.

How would you describe Hyde Park to someone who isn't familiar with it?
A little rumpled, bookish, left of center. Not pretentious or obvious.

You have friends visiting for the weekend-- What do you make sure to show them in the neighborhood?
Museum of Science and Industry, Oriental Institute

What is your favorite restaurant and/or business in the area? What about it do you like? What do you recommend there?
Valois (recommend breakfast and chicken pot pie), The Cove, Woodlawn Tap, Istria Cafe in the Hyde Park Art Center

How do you feel about the Harper Court development project and community re-development in general? How do you feel it will impact the neighborhood? What type of development would you like to see, if any?
Not enthused. Chicago already has a Lincoln Park, [we] don't need another.

What do you think the neighborhood is missing (if anything)? What do you see as the barriers to Hyde Park having this?
Good transit, bars, restaurants... I wish we had a hangout again, like Chances R, with the peanuts on the floor.

Overall, how do you feel about the neighborhood?
Good, but not as great as could be.

Bonus Question: Feel free to talk about any neighborhood-related issues or topics that I haven't touched on, suggest a question to be included in future interviews, and/or plug your own website or a cause you're passionate about.
I am passionate about pedestrian safety and public transit. My website is www.hydeparksystems.com

Thanks to Richard for taking the time to complete the Q&A. If you're interested in being featured on the blog (and/or would like the opportunity to plug your business/website...), click here to complete my online interview.

What does "development" mean for Hyde Park?

Harper Court pre-demolition....

Courtesy of: http://www.flickr.com/photos/reallyboring/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

I posted a few days ago about the "redevelopment" project that is set to begin in the Harper Court space later this year. In a nutshell, the University of Chicago has purchased the complex and has hired the Vermillion Development firm (known for its experience with "university town" development projects) to raze the existing buildings and replace them with something shiny and new. I, unfortunately, am not privy to any of the specifics of the plan, but rumor has it that there will be a "tower" including a hotel and gym, possibly a cinema, and lots of commercial space.

Anyway, now that I know that the whispers of "development" in Hyde Park are becoming a reality, I'm sort of feeling uneasy. I'm going to be totally honest-- when I first moved to the neighborhood, I whined and complained to anyone who would listen about how Hyde Park would be perfect if only we had this-that-or-the-other yuppy amenity-- e.g. a place to get microbrews, a tapas spot, trendy sushi, and a non-strip-mall shopping complex with national and higher-end shops. With time, though, I've begun to develop a more nuanced perspective. On the one hand, I think having these things nearby would be great. On the other, though, I worry that too much development--particularly University-driven development-- runs the risk of fundamentally changing the character of the neighborhood and robbing Hyde Park of its distinctive quaintness and authenticity. If Hyde Park starts to look like downtown Champaign-Urbana or Ann Arbor, will it still be the Hyde Park I love?

What this all comes down to is that Hyde Park is not and (hopefully) never will be a college town in the traditional sense. Yes, it is the home to a world-class university and to thousands of students from all around the world, but it is also an economically and culturally diverse urban community within a huge metropolis. I get that the university wants its students to have access to cool places to hang out, drink, and shop, but I hope that the development project will also address and respect the needs and preferences of non-University Hyde Park-ers and Southsiders in general.