Metropolitan Planning Council is facilitating community involvement in an initiative to improve access to transit and retail amenities in three Chicago mixed-income neighborhoods.
Reconnecting
Neighborhoods is a new planning initiative that invites residents of three
Chicago
mixed-income neighborhoods to help shape the future of their communities. The
project will result in recommendations for enhanced transit services, retail,
and improved public infrastructure in Near North, Near West and Mid-South
neighborhoods.
Already these communities possess
tremendous assets – proximity to downtown, solid infrastructure, and an active,
burgeoning residential population, to name a few. By enhancing transit
connections and access, these neighborhoods will spur growth from within, as
well as “reconnect” with other
Chicago
communities.
The
project is being led by the City of Chicago Dept. of Planning and Development,
with support from the Regional Transportation Authority. HNTB, a planning firm,
is handling the project’s technical work and research. Metropolitan Planning
Council’s role is to encourage strong and diverse community involvement,
including residents, business owners, local civic leaders, investors, and other
key community stakeholders.
“Chicago’s tremendous
progress in the last few decades is no accident. It is the product of its
citizens’ industry,” said Brandon Johnson, MPC’s Reconnecting Neighborhoods
manager. “Reconnecting Neighborhoods is an opportunity for people to shape the
city’s transition, and
to influence the City of
Chicago
’s and Regional
Transportation Authority’s planning processes through greater community
leadership and involvement.”
Through a series of
interactive planning sessions in each community, Reconnecting Neighborhoods
already has begun to solicit and document community input on existing plans and
developments. These initial public meetings are critical to developing a common
point of departure, so that everyone involved – from local stakeholders to
government agencies – can move forward with the next step in this year-long
process: developing preliminary recommendations.
Participation at these community
meetings has been encouraging, and Reconnecting Neighborhoods will engage many
more people in the next several months. Please join us in our efforts. Visit the
Reconnecting Neighborhoods
Web site
, where
you
can review your neighborhood’s inventory report, check the schedule of upcoming
meetings, fill out a
community
questionnaire
, comment on the
blog
, and
sign up for
e-mail
updates
.