A decade ago many Chicago neighborhoods were undergoing massive transformations. Condos were replacing old factories, new homes were springing up in abandoned railyards, the city was tearing down public housing to make way for mixed-income communities. Entire neighborhoods were turning around, while others were being targeted for speculation by investors trying to predict the next gentrification hot spots.

Then came the housing crash and the Great Recession. The gap between affluent and poor neighborhoods grew while the number of middle-class neighborhoods diminished. Now, as Chicago's economy claws its way back from the recession, many neighborhoods in the midst of recovery are improving but not technically gentrifying. By focusing our fears on that bogeyman are we ignoring the poverty and disinvestment that continues to plague other areas of the city?

In this series, WBEZ community-bureau reporters dig into the latest census and real-estate data in partnership with University of Illinois at Chicago's Voorhees Center to tell the story of Chicago's changing neighborhoods.

Real-estate developer in hot area sees bright future — and displacement by Chip Mitchell On Chicago's Northwest Side, a developer behind a proposed upscale residential complex grapples with the working-class displacement his project will cause.

In 'up-and-coming' neighborhood, what's the tipping point for gentrification? by Susie An In Belmont Cragin some residents worry that a healthy recovery may lead to something more.

Why don't black Chicago neighborhoods gentrify? by Natalie Moore One expert points to longstanding poverty, lack of capital and retailers with an 'aversion to black consumers.'

'Uber-gentrification' a force in Chicago's West Loop by Natalie Moore First it was Oprah, now Google. Former industrial zone is today an eclectic mix of meatpackers, celebrity chefs and high-end retailers.