Building the South Side: Urban Space and Civic Culture in Chicago, 1890-1919

Building the South Side explores the struggle for influence that dominated the planning and development of Chicago's South Side during the Progressive Era. Robin F. Bachin examines the early days of the University of Chicago, Chicago’s public parks, Comiskey Park, and the Black Belt to consider how community leaders looked to the physical design of the city to shape its culture and promote civic interaction.

Bachin highlights how the creation of a local terrain of civic culture was a contest...