Pilsen Gentrification: A Neighborhood’s Fight to Stay Rooted

By Royrie Curry, Salvador Garcia, Quan Mai

Modern condos now line the blocks of Pilsens traditionally working class streets, reflecting the growing presence of wealthier newcomers. (photo/Royrie Curry)

On 18th Street, trendy cafes buzz with newcomers while locals try to hold on. Rent is rising. So is tension. Long-time residents of Pilsen say their neighborhood isn’t what it used to be — and they’re not sure if they can stay much longer.

Chicago is a city with culture everywhere you look. People from many different walks of life can find a home here and live peacefully.

But for some, this is easier said than done. Those living in newly deemed highly sought-after areas in the city feel the weight of gentrification looming above them, and the consequences accompanying it.

This can be felt deeply in the Pilsen community of Chicago, where some residents suffer from the increased cost of living, and property values are rising faster than some can keep up with.

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“We’re not just talking about rising rent,” said Professor John J Betancur. A veteran urban planner and professor at the University of Illinois, Chicago. “We’re talking about decades of forced displacement, cultural resilience, and now resistance, being worn down by policy failure and political co-optation.”

COMMUNITY BUILT ON SURVIVAL:

Betancur outlined how Pilsen became a hub for the Latinx community, especially during the mid-20th century, as industrial disinvestment and displacement pushed them from other city areas.

“ Latinos never had a neighborhood of their own,” Betancur said. “ When they finally became the majority in Pilsen, they held on tightly. It became Mexico away from Mexico.”

This close-knit community was forged through hardship, with mutual support networks and grassroots organizations that resisted gentrification efforts throughout the 1970s and 80s. But that resistance began to falter in the 1990s.

“In 1996, the city appointed a Latino Alderman loyal to the mayor’s machine — and that opened the floodgates,” he said. “ The neighborhood couldn’t protect itself anymore.”

“So it’s very well located near important economic development poles of this region, very ideal.”

David Lopez-Garcia, an assistant professor from UIC’s urban planning department, knows this. well. When asked if this trend in the rising cost of living and gentrification in Pilsen will continue, he says that it is to be expected because of how valued Pilsen is seen.

This gentrification of Pilsen has forced out families who’ve lived here for decades.

This cultural erasure is impacting the lives of many, as they scramble to keep themselves afloat in this sea of increased property taxes, and it can be seen in the closing down of long-existing shops, restaurants, homes, etc.

AN INSIDER PERSPECTIVE

Lam Giang, an international student at UIC, said that her 3 BR at Pilsen divides the cost of her $750 monthly rent with three other college students. While she depends on the shared apartment, she still experiences financial burden from rising residential expenses.

“It’s not easy; $750 is a lot for a student, and the landlord has already informed me that the rent fee will rise to $775 for the next year,” she said. “Although I can see that my rent fee is cheaper than other places in Chicago, I still can’t imagine that for families who have lived here for a long time, especially working-class residents, it’s even harder to keep up with these prices going up throughout the years.”

Giang has witnessed Pilsen transforming into a more fashionable place as artists and bar owners establish new cafés and art studios in the area. Although she welcomes and enjoys the area’s improvements, she believes that her neighborhood faces gradual elimination through these changes.

Former Pilsen resident Steven Song, a data analyst who lived in Pilsen two years ago with his girlfriend, was shocked when told the new average rent fee in Pilsen.

“When I lived in Pilsen two years ago with my girlfriend, we were paying about $1,300 total — $650 each, that was including utilities — for a studio of one bedroom and one bathroom, right in the heart of Pilsen,” noted Song.

“Now, I know that similar units going for $1,800 or more is crazy. That’s a massive jump in just two years, especially for a neighborhood like Pilsen, it puts real pressure on working-class families, local businesses, and younger people trying to stay in the area without overspending on rent”.

New developments bring in wealthier residents, driving up rents across the board. Song said he has seen friends who used to live in Pilsen get priced out or have to move further away.

It’s tough because while development can benefit the economy, it often comes at the cost of displacing long-time residents.

EVIDENCE OF GENTRIFICATION

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Timeline: Pilsen in Transition: A Timeline of Culture, Change, and Conflict

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New construction sits besides long standing family businesses, highlighting the clash between preservation and development in Pilsen (photo/Royrie Curry).

By looking at these images of Pilsen from the early 2000s compared to 2025, we can see the extent of the gentrification that has come to Pilsen.

According to a 2023 report published by Betancur through UIC‘s Great Cities Institute, the signs of gentrification in Pilsen are undeniable.

“From 1990 to 2020, there’s been a continuous hemorrhage of Latinos from the area,” he said. “Rental prices skyrocketed. Home values soar. And the families — with children — left.”

Today, only 30% of Pilsen households have children, a dramatic drop from earlier decades. Overcrowded schools have become underpopulated. Many elders who managed to purchase homes years ago are now on fixed income, struggling to keep up with property taxes.

Lopez-Garcia noted “You start to see the more expensive coffee shop, the more expensive organic food, the more expensive yoga studio…specific kinds of services that are not for the low income population because that usually signals the demographic shift in a neighborhood, because businesses follow the consumers that can afford those kinds of services.”

Newer buildings and shops are popping up, increasing the cost of living in the area and attracting support from those willing to pay more for these businesses.

When looking at this map, one can see the increase in the number of shops in Pilsen, from coffee shops to food stores and yoga studios.

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This interactive map with several buildings in Pilsen shows the rise of the affluent, the result of unaffordable living, and the attempt to further gentrify Pilsen.

GOVERNMENT INVOLVEMENT

“There has been no meaningful government response,” he said. “The city is in coalition with developers. They want gentrification because it raises tax revenue.”

Betancur recounts a former mayor, Richard M. Daley, who declared that Chicago had “too many poor people “and needed to be “sent away.”

Betancur also points out the structural limitations: Illinois prohibits rent control by law. Designating “protected low-income zones” isn’t possible under current legislation. Even affordable housing solutions, such as the resurrection project, which has developed about 400 units, barely scratch the surface.

“They call it affordable, “he said, “but renting a two-bedroom apartment for $1200 is not affordable to low-income families.“

COMMUNITY RESISTANCE

Murals like this one on 18th street continue to honor latin heritage, even as redevelopment creeps into culturally significant spaces (photo/ Royrie Curry).

Some resistance efforts remain — like the grassroots group Pilsen Alliance — the strength of community opposition has been weakened by co-optation and lack of funding.

“They passed non-binding referendums. They protested significant developments. They blocked some,” Betancur said, “ but when the alderman and City Hall are aligned against you, it’s David versus Goliath — and this time, Goliath always wins.”

He emphasizes that while the community and Pilsen have shown formidable resistance in the past, such unity is difficult to replicate elsewhere.

A united community is a force to contend with,” he said. “But building that kind of front takes decades — and the clocks are ticking”.