Central Chicago Neighborhoods Caucus

Connecting Communities

Central Neighborhoods Caucus

July 23, 2003

A Chicagoland Transportation and Air Quality Commission project in partnership

with: Break the Gridlock and The Pilsen Alliance

Connecting Communities caucuses are a public involvement

follow-up to the Connecting Communities summits that involved

over 500 people from throughout northeastern Illinois. The

caucuses are designed to take a "snapshot" of a community's

views on progress toward their summit recommendations. Some

recommendations were major projects that could only be

accomplished over a long time period. Others were practical,

short term, and inexpensive solutions to community mobility

deficits.

The Central Neighborhoods of Chicago are a dense

region composed of diverse and constantly evolving

neighborhoods. This area is considered by many to

be the "heart" of the six-county region because

countless businesses are located in the Loop; all the

spokes of the radial transit system meet here as well.

Residents of these neighborhoods want

transportation that encourages a high quality of life

and can reasonably accommodate the volume of

people that need to move around the area.

Transit-oriented development

(TOD) that promotes

neighborhood economic development and efficient

public transportation that increases transit access to

and from the Central Neighborhoods are high priorities.

Residents want accommodations for automobiles to

reflect real car ownership in Chicago. According to

the 2000 census 72% of Chicago households own one

or no car. More energy and awareness should be put

into a culture of incentives and infrastructure that

would better accommodate Chicagoans who use cars

modestly or not at all.

It has been a slow and tedious process to create

change. Many who attended the Connecting

Communities caucus for the Central Neighborhoods

of Chicago felt that current progress isn't

comprehensive enough. Some felt that elected

officials and other decision-makers had not listened

to their priorities. They stressed that planners and

decision-makers need to follow through with

commitments and address issues of equity. A great

deal of the TOD occurred in more gentrified

neighborhoods. Many improvements that are less

costly and easier to do, such as painting for bicycle

lanes, are being implemented slowly. These Central

Neighborhoods are the core of the transportation

system and need crucial improvements and

infrastructure to support the rest of region.

Transit-oriented Development Promotes Economic

Development and a High Quality of Life

Transit-oriented development (TOD) is vital to the

dense neighborhoods of Chicago. There have been

several positive examples of TOD in Chicago,

including the development at Fullerton and Sheffield,

the Howard Red line station, and the Roosevelt Red/Green/Orange

station. Participants would like to see similar TOD spread across

the Central Neighborhoods. The group cited several "untapped

resources" for TOD projects such as the CTA Green Line, areas in

the West Loop, and the CTA Douglas Blue Line. Several felt that

transit-oriented development should include more community input.

Efficient Public Transportation is Essential

Bus routes and accommodations have improved in some respects,

according to participants. One of the biggest improvements to

transit in this region is the accommodation of bicycles on CTA

buses and trains. One participant noted that "talking buses,"

the buses that use a pre-recorded voice to alert passengers of

stops on the route, are "nice in theory" but questioned the

reliability of the system.

Excerpt from Central Neighborhoods of Chicago

Connecting Communities, October 24, 2003

"The Central Neighborhoods Connecting Communities summit

focuses on the area of Chicago bounded by North Avenue,

Pershing Road, Lake Michigan and the city limits to the west

the core of the six-county metropolitan region. The Midwest's

major business and financial district sits in the Central

Neighborhoods region. The labor movement had deep and

significant roots in this part of town. Central Neighborhoods

were the original ports-of-entry for a myriad of immigrant

groups and for blacks migrating from the south. Shopping areas

range from the Magnificent Mile, to Maxwell Street, to the

mercados of 18

and 26

Streets. Even the community shopping

areas generate inbound traffic as third and fourth generation

Americans, tourists and urban aficionados travel to

neighborhoods like Chinatown, Little Italy or Ukrainian Village

to purchase specialty items."

Transit-oriented development (TOD) is economic development clustered around mass transit stations and bus stations.

The Chicagoland Transportation and Air Quality Commission is a coalition of non-profit organizations from this region that bring federal transportation

mandates to local actors. CTAQC keeps its constituents and members informed about transportation, land use, environmental justice, and other related issues.

Chicagoland Transportation and Air Quality Commission 2125 W North Avenue Chicago, IL 60647 (773) 278-4800 www.cnt.org/tsp/

Despite some successes, many felt that CTA and city

planners had not made sound transportation

improvements necessary to support new

development. Specifically, there is currently no bus

service on the rapidly developing Clybourn retail

corridor; as a result it is difficult for many potential

shoppers to access. There is no commitment by the

CTA to provide owl and weekend service for the

Douglas Blue Line to serve communities like Pilsen,

Little Village, Lawndale, and Cicero.

This group would also like to see more Metra stations

within the city limits as well as increased outbound

service to aid reverse commuters. The Central

Neighborhoods area also includes many of the city's

tourist and sport facilities; it was suggested that the

free trolley be removed, encouraging tourists to use

public transportation.

Invest in Pedestrians

Although there have been many improvements for

pedestrians (painted crosswalks, Mayor Daley's

support for walking school buses, and sidewalks that

have been repaved near transit stations, for

example) the caucus felt that more must be done to

improve the pedestrian environment in this area of

the city.

Participants cited a lack of leadership to ensure

sidewalks are included in street repair funding, a lack

of law enforcement at crosswalks and red lights, and

bicyclists who sometimes ride on sidewalks as reasons

why pedestrians are at risk in the Central

Neighborhoods. The group echoed what was said in

their summit report by suggesting that federal monies

be used to extend bike path planning to older tighter

streetscapes and to establish meaningful walking and

biking routes for the areas around schools. One

participant suggested that Chicago should emulate New

York City by striving to increase motorist sensitivity

to pedestrians. In New York City, during heavy

pedestrian travel times, one car lane is blocked and

given to pedestrians to accomodate sidewalk overflow.

Increase Bicycling Options

Bicycling in Chicago continues to be increasingly

accepted as a viable means of transportation. The

Connecting Communities summit report noted this

progress and said that still more needed to be done.

The progress continues; participants felt that there

were more routes, more awareness, and more

acceptance of bicycles. The CTA has extended times

for bicycles on trains and provided free

accommodations for bicycles on buses.

Additional work should include motorist education to facilitate a

better understanding of bicycle rights and more bicycle-related

businesses. Participants hoped that biking would continue to grow

as a viable option for travel. They also hoped that more businesses

in the Central Business District would provide indoor bike parking

and shower rooms for employees. One idea to encourage employers

to do this was to provide financial incentives to businesses that

promote employee bicycle use.

A New Model for Chicago

The Connecting Communities summit report recommended the

creation of neighborhood "Car-Free Villages," citing "El Zocalo"

an effort by the Resurrection Project to pedestrianize the areas

around Paulina and 18th Street. One idea for implementation

was to give each alderman the resources for a "Car-Free Village"

plan. While participants were excited about this prospect, they

recognized several obstacles to be overcome: cars are a priority

in our culture, parking is required for all newly constructed

buildings, and there is very little information available to people

about "Car-Free Villages." One suggestion was to look at failed

examples of car elimination, such as the State Street Mall, and

strive for a balance between car and car-free environments.

The Central Neighborhoods of Chicago are a part of the region

that everyone from northeastern Illinois may visit, work in, or

travel through at some point. It is crucial that the people who

live here are not overlooked when it comes to making decisions

about their neighborhoods and their community. The City of

Chicago needs to anticipate the rapid growth of businesses and

better coordinate and plan transportation service. Well-

connected bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure is an effective

way to manage the increasing congestion we see on the streets

of Chicago. The city needs to carefully examine how it

determines which neighborhoods need increased transit service

and new development to make sure that the overall

transportation system is efficient and equitable.

The corner of Ogden and Van Buren, just

outside of the Medical District.