Photo: Paul Krueger via Flickr Creative Commons

Why Keeping the Promise Will Be a Game Changer for Building an Equitable Chicago

Many of Chicago’s most desirable neighborhoods are anchored by CTA stations, which has pushed rents sky high. But we need to stop and think – should access to the CTA only be available to those who can afford high rents? Doesn’t it hurt our entire city when resource-strapped households are hit with the double whammy of unaffordable rents and costly auto ownership? We support the proposed Keeping the Promise ordinance, designed to reform the Chicago Housing Authority, because we believe that... Continue reading »

 

Guest Blog: Making Cities Smart for Citizens

By Richard Beckwith, Intel What is a Smart City? A city that’s smart sounds like a very good thing, much better than the alternative.  But despite the appeal, lots of people just aren’t quite clear what a Smart City actually is.  Simply put, Smart Cities enhance the efficiencies of urban systems with networked technology. Smart meters monitor electricity usage as part of a “smart grid,” which in turn enables better integration of renewable energy sources like solar. Smart... Continue reading »

 

The Suburb That’s Reinventing Resilience

When Village of Midlothian residents reached out to CNT’s RainReady℠ program, they sought help with Natalie Creek, a small tributary to the Cal Sag Channel with a terrible history of flooding the surrounding neighborhood. As we began our work with Floodlothian Midlothian and Village Trustees, we learned that flooding wasn’t the only challenge facing the community. Like many of its neighbors, Midlothian was hard hit by the 2009 recession and has been challenged to rebuild its economic base and... Continue reading »

 

Flood Victims - The Trusted Voice on Urban Flooding

We are delighted to announce that the City of Chicago is supporting CNT’s education and outreach on rain readiness. Working alongside urban flooding victims themselves, we help people identify practical and affordable improvements to protect their property from urban flooding - approaches that can be implemented in any neighborhood in America. What’s particularly exciting is that CNT’s unique organizing approach – flood victim action through Resident Action Groups  - has caught the... Continue reading »

 

Your Story Can Put Urban Flooding on the Agenda

Urban flooding can quickly destroy a home or business, and it’s happening across the country more frequently than ever before. It’s often caused by intense rainfall on impervious paved surfaces, though urban flooding can also happen when old, undersized or poorly maintained stormwater infrastructure fails. In either case, urban flooding often occurs in ways and at times you would least expect. That’s what happened one night last year to Pueschel Schneier’s Pensacola, Fla., home when she... Continue reading »

 

Made in Chicago: Bringing Manufacturing Back to Cities Through Industrial EcoDistricts

Five miles southwest of Chicago’s Loop sit three nearly vacant buildings that were once part of the Central Manufacturing District (CMD), one of the first industrial parks in the country. In their heyday, these three buildings housed tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs, the sort of well paying, blue collar work that is largely a relic of a bygone era. Each building is about a half million square feet, and a freight rail line runs adjacent to the site (though investment would be needed to... Continue reading »

 

CNT’s RainReady Service to Help Chicago Flood Victims Recover from the 2013 Storm

The Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) has been contracted through the City of Chicago’s Residential Flood Assistance Program to provide streamlined flood damage repair and prevention for 70 homes victimized by the April 2013 flooding that crippled parts of Chicago’s south and west sides. Through CNT’s RainReady Home service, each eligible homeowner will receive a free home inspection to identify opportunities for flood repair and prevention. The RainReady Home team will then make... Continue reading »

 

Putting Places First: Implementing GO TO 2040 through Priority Development Areas

The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) has helped chart a new framework for regional development focused on underutilized land in existing communities and anchored by walkable neighborhoods, transit, and freight. But our new report, Putting Places First: Targeting Infrastructure Improvements to Spur Investment in Priority Development Areas, reveals that the transportation projects we’re funding aren’t aligned with—and sometimes are completely opposed to—that goal. Cities in the... Continue reading »

 

Going for the Gold (Line)

Chicago’s landscape is quickly changing. As was reported by the Chicago Sun-Times, the Chicago Plan Commission has approved a 99-year lease for the development of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. With this immense project beginning to materialize, it is crucial that the city’s public infrastructure grows in tandem. The construction of the Lucas Museum in the Near South Side area represents an important contribution to one of Chicago’s most historically important neighborhoods. A beacon of... Continue reading »

 

Funders Help Build Neighborhood Resilience Against Urban Flooding and Climate Change

Chatham, a neighborhood on Chicago’s southwest side, has a proud history of being one of Chicago’s most enduring black middle class neighborhoods. As with most of the country, however, the spectre of the recession is still looming, and Chatham’s residents have been working hard to bring in new economic development opportunities. One of the biggest obstacles to attracting new businesses and residents lies deep beneath Chatham’s streets. The aging sewers running through Chatham are often... Continue reading »

 

Pages