Please join us as we gather to celebrate the life of Lew Kreinberg, leader, mentor, friend, and inspiration to generations of Chicagoans working to make this city a better place for all. Come share your memories of Lew’s life full of energy, commitment, imagination, and joy. 3 to 5 pm, Saturday May 11 at Friendship Baptist Church, 5200 W Jackson Blvd, Chicago Program includes speakers, music and refreshments. Parking is available at the church. Please RSVP here... Read the rest of this entry »

We recently named Pam Jones as the first full-time fellow. An internship opportunity to work with CNT Vice President for Government Affairs Jacky Grimshaw will open next month. Native Chicagoan Pamela Jones got interested in transportation planning and policy because she wanted to expand transportation options in urban and rural communities. “I was lucky enough to grow up in a transit-rich neighborhood and took the train and bus to get around," says Jones. “The older I got,... Read the rest of this entry »

Video produced by Rudd Resources City planner and community leader Nina Idemudia looks to usher in a new era of innovation towards addressing sustainability and equity as the Center for Neighborhood Technology’s new CEO For almost 50 years, CNT has been a national leader in finding innovative ways to make cities more sustainable, resilient and equitable for all who live there. The CNT board was delighted with Nina’s understanding of how built environments shape the lives of... Read the rest of this entry »

Chicago finally caught a weekend break from torrential thunderstorms and poor air quality coming from Canadian forest fires on Saturday, July 22—making it a great day for the Water Justice Fair that Little Village Environmental Justice Organization (LVEJO) and Center for Neighborhood Technology co-hosted at Las Semillas de Justicia Garden.   The event was one of the first post-pandemic in-person gatherings for our two groups. Las Semillas de Justicia Garden was a... Read the rest of this entry »

“We always think it’s going to be a big movement, a big force, something that’s beyond ourselves that’s going to be our solution when in fact, it’s us– the moms, the grandmoms, the kids,” Lorée Washington, a Riverdale community leader, said during a recent virtual workshop for residents of South Suburban communities where the RainReady project is addressing urban flooding. As we partner with local groups to develop the RainReady Calumet Corridor with support from the Cook County government,... Read the rest of this entry »

In the wake of centuries of top-down urban planning practices, there is a great need to re-think the way cities are planned and invested in. I have always been interested in how cities’ public transportation systems work and how to be part of bottom-up planning practices that emphasize building decision-making power within communities. My studies in UIC’s Urban Planning & Policy graduate program allowed me to engage with transportation planning and civic engagement principles, and I found... Read the rest of this entry »

Climate change impacts are felt by individuals and communities all over the world through intense or frequent storms, floods, and increased exposure to air and water pollutants. Who is most impacted by this? Unfortunately, those who are lower-income and have non-white racial or ethnic identities. Chicago’s Southeast Side is one of these communities. Here, residents experience health inequities from their proximity to industrial pollution, like higher rates of heart disease and respiratory... Read the rest of this entry »

The Climate and Economic Justice Screening tool, or CEJST for short, is a simple map, with big implications. CEJST identifies disadvantaged census tracts for prioritizing federal funding and informing Justice40, which aims to send “40 percent of the overall benefits of certain Federal investments… [to] disadvantaged communities that are marginalized, underserved, and overburdened by pollution. Over the next five years, federal and state agency staff are charged with doling out billions of... Read the rest of this entry »

Transportation is more than the movement of people and goods from place to place. It is a basic need and a vital component of a healthy community. However,  countless urban communities lack access to affordable and sustainable transit infrastructure. Such instances cause adverse impacts on BIPOC, low- and moderate-income households, often in tandem, deepening economic and racial inequities. Growing up in Chicago, I was privileged to live in a transit-rich area. Public transit was more... Read the rest of this entry »

Working toward change is difficult – in ourselves, in our relationships, within organizations, and certainly across institutions and geographies that have a strong hold on our daily lives. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of working alongside many communities in a diverse mix of places and contexts, each confronted with unique histories and a shifting landscape of challenges and opportunities. Within those experiences, I’ve consistently seen how exploring communities’ ideas about what... Read the rest of this entry »