Helping Communities Overcome Development Dilemmas
The Community Building Initiative (CBI) works with community partners throughout greater metropolitan Chicago to tackle development challenges that demand a creative vision for the future, consistent with MPC’s mission for a more equitable, sustainable, and competitive region. The initiative draws on MPC’s core strengths in planning and policy development to assist communities as they respond to local issues related to housing, transportation, environment, and sustainable economic development. These community success stories demonstrate the local and regional impact of MPC’s policy goals and inform our regional, state and federal advocacy.
Community Building Initiative fact sheet
Free Toolkit for Communities
MPC co-produced a series of workbooks designed to help communities overcome a variety of development challenges. Each workbook offers step-by-step guidance, as well as examples of best practices and policies from communities in metropolitan Chicago, Illinois, and nationwide. Download your free copies today.
Housing 1-2-3 (2008) A guidebook for local housing development and policies
Retail 1-2-3 (2007) A guidebook for retail development
Planning 1-2-3 (2006) A guidebook for comprehensive planning
Sensible Tools for Healthy Communities (2004) A guidebook for sustainable development
Articles
Model housing strategies in north and south suburbs share common theme: collaboration-
- Despite Illinois’ famous appetite for local control, with more units of local government than any other state, a new way of doing business – municipal collaboration – is proving effective and attracting both political and media attention. A group of communities in the south…
Disappointed, but still hopeful, in the wake of NSP2-
- The U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently announced awardees for the second round of Neighborhood Stabilization Program foreclosure recovery funding. While MPC and our partners appreciated the significant allocations to the City of Chicago and Evanston, we also felt a sharp…
MPC by the numbers, 2009-
- From jobless rates to the Dow Jones Industrial Average, from Illinois’ budget gap to foreclosure trends, news reports in 2009 were awash with gloomy figures. It’s been a challenging year, and the numbers don’t lie.
Yet, fortunately, they rarely tell the whole…
MPC Hosts "What Makes Your Place Great?" Roundtable-
- Chicagoland is filled with great public spaces. Some of the most famous and recognizable may be in downtown Chicago, but the entire region is full of less well-known places that are equally, or even more, cherished by local residents. MPC’s October 28 Roundtable discussion introduced four…
- Chicago Community Databook
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In coordination with the 2016 Fund for Chicago Neighborhoods, during the summer of 2008, MPC collected, analyzed and mapped data for communities that stood to be the most affected if Chicago won the bid. Despite the International Olympic Committee's decision, MPC’s Community Databook remains a useful resource for these communities, which are ripe for redevelopment.
Multimedia
- Corridor Development Initiative Fact Sheet
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- Publication
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- December 14, 2009
- The Corridor Development Initiative is a hands-on planning process that helps residents understand issues such as affordable housing, density, and mixed-use design, while establishing priorities to guide future development in the community.
- Placemaking Chicago Fact Sheet
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- Publication
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- December 14, 2009
- Placemaking is a people-centered approach to planning public spaces. MPC's Placemaking Chicago project supports the creation and care of quality public places in the region through policy advocacy, collaboration with public agencies and officials, technical assistance on planning projects, and…
Nuestro Retrato: Our Portrait-
- Slideshow
- (21 slides)
- November 9, 2009
- It doesn’t matter how long you’ve lived in Chicagoland, the region’s public spaces help make it a good place to live for all. Inspired by MPC’s "What Makes Your Place Great?" Contest, students of English as a Second Language at Poder Learning Center in Pilsen wrote about their favorite…
"What Makes Your Place Great?" Roundtable-
- Slideshow
- (12 slides)
- November 4, 2009
- Chicagoland is filled with great public spaces. Some of the most famous and recognizable may be in downtown Chicago, but the entire region is full of less well-known places that are equally, or even more, cherished by local residents. MPC’s October 28 Roundtable discussion introduced four of…
Placemaking Chicago-
- Video
- (2:05)
- September 4, 2009
- A short video on Placemaking, produced in August 2008 by Metropolitan Planning Council and Tu Multimedia.
Links
- Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning
- CMAP offers community assistance that provides tools, programs, and opportunities to help communities and organizations build capacity, improve quality of life, and participate in the regional planning process. More info »
- Center for Neighborhood Technology
- Learn more about one of CNT’s latest projects, a public planning project to draw community benefits from undervalued transit and freight assets in Cook County suburbs. The two communities that have signed agreements with CNT for an integrated planning process are Blue Island and Harvey. The final report, once adopted by the community, will be used to solicit proposals from developers that specifically respond to the community’s vision. More info »
- Homes for a Changing Region
- Homes for a Changing Region is a forward looking series of reports on the housing needs of the Chicago region which have been compiled by Chicago Metropolis 2020 in collaboration with the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus and with communities across the Chicago region. More info »
- Urban Land Institute, Chicago
- Since 1947 ULI has harnessed the technical expertise of its members to help communities solve difficult land use, development, and redevelopment challenges. Learn about ULI-Chicago’s TAP partnership with MPC, read reports from completed TAPs, and download an application form to bring a TAP to your community. More info »
- Placemaking Chicago
- Placemaking is a people-centered approach to developing and working toward a common vision for a public place. Learn about Placemaking Chicago, through which MPC supports the creation and care of public places across Chicagoland that bring people together and foster healthier, more social, and economically viable communities. More info »
More related links »
Collaborators
Partners
Center for Neighborhood Technology
Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning
Metropolitan Mayors Caucus
Urban Land Institute, Chicago
Funders
Bank of America
The Chicago Community Trust
Grand Victoria Foundation
