Video | The Boss and the Bulldozer | Chicago Stories

Chicago mayor Richard J. “Boss” Daley had a lofty vision for Chicago’s downtown. Over the course of his 21 years in office, Daley’s ambitious urban renewal initiatives were the foundation of the city’s infrastructure and at the same time displaced the poor and people of color while perpetuating racial segregation. Audio-narrated descriptions are available.

Mayor Richard J. Daley grew up in Bridgeport, an Irish, South Side Chicago neighborhood that influenced his political career.

While the city poured money into Chicago’s downtown, Mayor Richard J. Daley oversaw a new stretch of public housing in Chicago that was promised to be modern but would prove to exacerbate segregation.

Though their efforts would be unsuccessful, Florence Scala and a group of activists fought to save Chicago’s Little Italy neighborhood from demolition. The community was to be razed to make way for the University of Illinois Chicago.