Amenities
Chicago Cityscape's Property Reports and Place Reports show nearby amenities and social infrastructure. This page describes why these are important to map and where we source the data.
What is social infrastructure?
Eric Klinenberg has popularized this term, which is defined in his book, "Palaces for the People", and defined, among other ways, as "Public institutions, such as libraries, schools, playgrounds, and athletic fields, are vital parts of the social infrastructure. So too are community gardens and other green spaces that invite people into the public realm. Nonprofit organizations, including churches and civic associations, act as social infrastructure when they have an established physical space where people can assemble, as do regularly scheduled markets for food, clothing, and other consumer goods." [1]
What is an amenity?
From an economic or housing market perspective, an amenity is, according to Jeffrey Lin, "a feature of a neighborhood that some household is willing to pay for in order to enjoy—for example, a good school, a view of the ocean, or a wide variety of restaurants all increase the amenity value of a neighborhood. Households' demand for a neighborhood amenity may depend in part on economywide factors." [2]
What is a 15-minute city or 20-minute neighborhood?
A 20-minute neighborhood is a local land use and transportation setting that attempts to provide all of life's needs within a 15 or 20-minute walk or bike ride. According to a survey by the National Association of Realtors (NAR), many people indicated they place a high priority on being "within easy walking distance to places". Walkable neighborhoods promote child independence, lower household transportation costs, and healthier families. It also translates to higher property values. [3] [4]
Amenities data sources
OpenStreetMap (OSM), a free database of places in the world. The following list shows the points of interest we acquire from OSM. (If multiple tags are listed then features featuring all of those tags are collected.)
| Amenity | OSM tag(s) | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Arts center | "amenity"="arts_centre" | Hairpin Arts Center IMAN Beloved Community Ceramics Studio Chicago Urban Art Retreat Center Lillstreet Art Center |
| Bakery | "shop"="bakery" | La Boulangerie & Co |
| Bank | "amenity"="bank" | Old National Bank Chase Huntington Bank First American Bank |
| Bar | "amenity"="bar" | Wild Hare Kelly's Pub Rogers Park Social |
| Bookstore | "shop"="books" | |
| Café (coffee shop) | "amenity"="cafe" | |
| Clinic | "amenity"="clinic" | |
| Clinic | "healthcare"="clinic" | |
| Coffee shop (café) | "shop"="coffee" | |
| Community center | "amenity"="community_centre" | Gads Hill Center Latinos Progresando Resource Center Sokol Community Center |
| Community gardens | "landuse"="allotments" | Las Semillas de Justicia Garden African Heritage Garden |
| Community gardens | "leisure"="garden" "garden:type"="community" |
Edgewater Beach Community Garden Twiggs Canal Gardens |
| Convenience store | "shop"="convenience" | 7-Eleven South Loop Market Wicker Park Bodega J.J. Pepper's |
| Copy shop | "amenity"="post_office" "shop"="copyshop" |
The UPS Store |
| Dentist | "amenity"="dentist" | |
| Dentist | "healthcare"="dentist" | |
| Doctor office | "amenity"="doctors" | |
| Events venue | "amenity"="events_venue" | |
| Farm | "landuse"="farm" | Altgeld Gardens Community Farm |
| Fast food restaurant | "amenity"="fast_food" | |
| Garden store | "shop"="garden_centre" | |
| Hospital | "amenity"="hospital" | |
| Library | "amenity"="library" | |
| Market (i.e. farmers) | "amenity"="marketplace" | |
| Non-profit organization office | "office"="ngo" | Allies for Community Business Neighborhood Housing Services - West Side Hub Experimental Station |
| Parks | "leisure"="park" | |
| Pharmacy | "amenity"="pharmacy" | |
| Pub | "amenity"="pub" | |
| Restaurant | "amenity"="restaurant" | |
| Social facility | "amenity"="social_facility" | Auburn Gresham Senior Satellite Center WIC Food Center |
| Sports centers | "leisure"="sports_centre" | |
| Store that sells groceries | "grocery"="yes" | Target |
| Substation | "power"="substation" | Bronzeville Community Microgrid Substation ComEd Devon 138kV Substation CTA Harlem Substation |
| Supermarket | "shop"="supermarket" | |
| Supermarket (grocery store) | "grocery"="supermarket" | |
| Wine store | "shop"="wine" |
From 2019 to 2024, some amenities and point of interest (POI) data was acquired from MAPSCorps, a non-profit organization based in Chicago.
Resources
- Eric Klinenberg. "Palaces for the People: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, and the Decline of Civic Life". Shop your local indie bookstore
- Jeffrey Lin. "Understanding Gentrification's Causes: What do three centuries of Philadelphia history tell us about today’s changing neighborhoods?". 2017. Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia Research Department. PDF.
- Jay Walljasper. "Welcome to the 20-Minute Village". February 2017. AARP. Online article.
- Jeremy Glover. 15-minute city: How close is Chicago?. August 14, 2020. Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC).