We Need To Talk About Ford City

Ford City Mall sits on one of the largest underused pieces of land on Chicago’s Southwest Side, a massive 75-acre site with a deep history stretching from World War II aircraft engine production to its rise and decline as a retail giant. Today, the community stands at a crossroads. A 2025 proposal backed by Alderman Derrick Curtis aims to convert Ford City into a warehouse and industrial distribution campus, claiming it will raise property values and create jobs. But Chicago’s history tells a different story: Industrial zoning in Black and Brown neighborhoods has never raised land value. It has consistently driven out commerce, suppressed development, and left communities behind with noise pollution, truck traffic, and low-wage, temporary jobs. This video presents a bold alternative: The Proposed Ford City Plaza — a Convention Center District designed to bring real economic growth, tourism, green space, small-business revival, housing investment, and educational opportunities to the Southwest Side. Linktree: https://linktr.ee/OkinFlores Stop Redevelopment of Ford City into Industrial Park (Petition): https://c.org/JcgXZW8RVZ