NORTH LAWNDALE - Local Initiatives Support Corporation

ISSUE AREA ITRANSPORTATION, INFRASTRUCTURE, AND TECHNOLOGYWe will lay the groundwork for a prosperous North Lawndale by expanding access to safe,well-designed, multimodal transportation and infrastructure and harnessing innovativegreen technology. From pedestrians to trucks and from manufacturing facilities to schools,we will strive to balance the needs of various infrastructure users.STRATEGY 1Improve transit and ride-share access,with bus routing and service as the top priority. Pursue increased bus service along Ogden Avenue,such as a route past Mount Sinai Hospital andextended weekday service time. Support improvements to the Blue line stationsat Pulaski and Kedzie-Homan and add a stationat Kostner. Facilitate safer, more comfortable transfersbetween bus routes and between buses andtrains with improvements to bus stops andshelter areas. Speed up popular bus routes, such as on PulaskiRoad, with dedicated bus lanes, peak hour buslanes, or transit signal priority. Attract residential and commercial developmentnear transit with transit-oriented developmentincentives. Explore resident permit parking in K-Town nearthe Kostner Pink Line station to make local housingmore attractive. Take advantage of mobile technology to enhance“first-mile, last-mile” connections to and from popular destinations by exploring formalpartnerships with established ride-share providers.Champions: NLCCC, Transportation & Infrastructure Committee,CDOT, CTASTRATEGY 2Increase street safety and comfort for all usersthrough policy changes, design upgrades, andtechnology investments. Install and maintain or replace safety treatmentsto alert drivers, slow down traffic, and guidepedestrians, beginning with priority locations. Demonstrate the possible impact of tacticalurbanism: temporary street improvements tomake them more oriented toward people thanmotorized vehicles.Champions: CDOT, IDOT6 North Lawndale Quality-of-Life Plan Executive SummarySTRATEGY 3Invest in innovative green technology toremake Ogden Avenue as the “Smartest Streetin America.” Prioritize North Lawndale as part of city and statecampaigns to install “smart” technology, such asSmart Street Lights that monitor air quality, managetraffic and parking, and charge electric vehicles. Invest in the latest available signal-timingtechnology to improve current long andunpredictable traffic signals. Reconfigure Ogden to the greater benefit of thelocal community, after a process that combinesinput from residents, community stakeholders,and government agencies and experts. Install green infrastructure in right-of-way forstormwater management, including bioswales,small native plantings, and/or permeable pavers. Consider designating the area between Millard andAlbany as a tech corridor, using existing fiber opticlines and zoning to attract tech-related businesses.Champions: IDOT, CDOT

WE WILL MEASURE OURSUCCESS BY:1. Increased number and visibilityof public transit stops to growridership, including two ormore new developments topriority station areas2. Initiated process to transformOgden Avenue3. Increased cyclist counts andbike-related employment, andreduced auto, pedestrian, andbike crashes32.5%NEARLY 1/3OF EMPLOYEDRESIDENTS USEPUBLIC TRANSIT67.5%Ogden Avenue was once partof Route 66To commute to work or schoolor for other necessary dailytrips4. Two improved truck routesto support freight-orientedbusinessesIts wide right-of-way—six to eight lanes of traffic—is a legacy of that useNearly 19 percent of all jobs held byNorth Lawndale residents are served by theNo. 157 bus, which only operates on weekdays5. A new community technologycenter that houses job andskills training as well as a freepublic Wi-Fi access point5.4 percent: The vacancyrate for industrial land inNorth Lawndale, 30% lessthan the local marketLOCAL MARKET AVERAGE: 8.8%NORTH LAWNDALE: 5.4%Transportation, Infrastructure, and Technology 7

TRANSPORTATION, INFRASTRUCTURE, AND TECHNOLOGY (continued)STRATEGY 4Beautify corridors through streetscapingand historic markers. Plant street trees throughout street network,prioritizing key commercial corridors: OgdenAvenue, Roosevelt Road, Pulaski Road and 16thStreet. Install Route 66 signs and landmarks along Ogden,with Castle Car Wash a top priority for landmarkrestoration. Install gateway murals at railway bridgeunderpasses on neighborhood borders. Grow the on-street bike infrastructure network toconnect to citywide and regional routes, startingwith a further engineering study.STRATEGY 7 Attract bike tourists to stop in North Lawndale,with emphasis on the Boulevards and Douglas Park. Acquire capital assets—land, property, building,internal technology and systems—to establish acentral hub of all things “tech” in North Lawndale. Recruit existing or cultivate a new bike shop,an important landmark and resource for thecommunity. Train more residents how to repair bikes, with anemphasis on teenage students and the re-entrypopulation.Champions: Equiticity, CDOTChampions: NLCCC, Transportation & Infrastructure CommitteeSTRATEGY 6STRATEGY 5Expand biking through new routes, initiatives,and training. Expand educational efforts about bike ridingbenefits to raise our bicycling participation rates. Expand both the physical and social reach of bikesharing, such as the CTA’s initiative for integrationwith Ventra and the Divvy for Everyone program,as well as options such as dockless electric bikes.8 North Lawndale Quality-of-Life Plan Executive SummarySupport freight-intensive businesses withroadway investment in key areas. Improve truck routes that serve industrial areas,which can bring jobs and investment with newbusinesses such as logistics-oriented warehousespace. Prioritize truck routes for pavement managementand maintenance.Champions: IDOT, CDOTDevelop and launch a communitytechnology center. Launch and promote a computer training lab wherevarious coding and programming classes couldoccur. Install and configure a neighborhood-wide Wi-Fiaccess signal that can serve as a back-up option andincrease the number of internet users across theneighborhood. Create an online community resource portal: awebsite with an interactive element for residentsand others in the community.Champions: Adivi Corp., NLCCC, Technology Committee

Ogden Avenue: Existing ConfigurationConcept A – Modify Existing InfrastructureConcept B – Comprehensive RedesignTransportation, Infrastructure, and Technology 9

ISSUE AREA IGREENING AND OPEN SPACEWe will promote greening efforts that beautify our neighborhood and also expandsocial and economic opportunities that encourage entrepreneurship, education, socialengagement, and environmental stewardship.STRATEGY 1STRATEGY 2:STRATEGY 3:Utilize our available green spaces and vacant lotsto promote cohesion, develop North Lawndale asa hub for the greening industry, promote healthyliving, and environmental awareness.Empower residents and organizations tocreate artistic, beautifully landscaped, clean,and environmentally diverse streetscapes.Create and maintain welcoming, safe,and high-quality parks and recreationareas throughout the community. Create youth-led neighborhood litter and recyclingcampaigns. Repair, maintain, and improve the facilities atDouglas Park, Franklin Park, and other publicpark spaces in North Lawndale. Create a centralized location to provide informationon gardens and parks and identify organizations toadopt and maintain existing green spaces. Foster the success of the North Lawndale greeningindustry by creating a welcoming business climateand by leveraging existing assets and the expertiseof partner organizations. Encourage the development of larger urbanagriculture enterprises on contiguous vacantparcels in high-vacancy areas. Continue to activate vacant lots and open spacesthroughout the community by transforming theminto community gardens and parks.Champions: Neighborspace, Homan Grown10 North Lawndale Quality-of-Life Plan Executive Summary Place permanent, secure trash cans throughoutthe neighborhood that can double as public art. Plant trees throughout the neighborhood via theOaks of North Lawndale community project toachieve Arboretum Status, which will highlight ourcommunity’s natural assets.Champions: Free Spirit Media, SAIC Transform vacant lots into playlots and identifyopportunities to create a new park space tobenefit underserved areas of the community,especially where infill housing development isbeing prioritized. Improve public safety and maintenance ofIndependence and Douglas Boulevards.Champions: Chicago Park District, 24th Ward Alderman's Office

WE WILL MEASURE OURSUCCESS BY:1. Percent of vacant lotstransformed into activecommunity spaces oropen green space2. Number of trash cans,street lights, trees, andplanters added to thecommunityThere are more than 40 documentedgarden and agricultural spaces in ourcommunity, including two operationalurban farms and two apiariesNearly 18%of North Lawndale’s landis open space3. Two annual environmentalstewardship events4. N umber of communityparticipants engaged inenvironmental programmingDouglas Park, considered a community gem,is one of 15 North Lawndale parks maintainedby the Chicago Park District16.6%North Lawndale currenttree canopy, one of thelowest in the city ofChicagoGreening and Open Space 11

ISSUE AREA IARTS AND CULTUREWe will increase awareness, participation, and expression in the arts, including hostingannual events. We will continue to partner with other arts-based organizations to builda network of artists.STRATEGY 1Invest in existing spaces and create new spaceswhere artists can create, learn, display, andperform their craft. Create an arts district with artist live/work spaces—an art hub with studio space and artists’ lofts—thatcreates arts programming for the community andattracts outside visitors. Create gateway murals and a walking tour thatteach the neighborhood’s history, from Route 66to Martin Luther King, Jr.’s push for fair housing toCobra Records. Continue to expand arts and culture events andprogramming, notably the North Lawndale ArtsFestival and Gallery Night, as well as new events atthe Douglas Park Cultural Center and SAIC’s HomanSquare facility. Create a multi-use art venue in North Lawndale,including gallery space and equipment to recordand/or perform music, and encourage thedevelopment of other performance spaces inthe community. Enhance the business and entrepreneurial skillsof our many talented artists by hosting festivalsand gallery nights to connect artists to collectors. Build a coalition of artists in the community tocreate a semi-annual networking event for NorthLawndale artists, spurring collaboration amongstartists and local arts institutions and creatingmore arts-based business opportunities.Champions: NLCCC Arts and Culture committee, SAIC Create an inventory of existing local art venues,stakeholders, and training opportunities to facilitateadditional collaboration, elevate programs’ profiles,and expose more residents to these resources. Increase participation and awareness of numerousprogramming opportunities for teenagers andseniors at Chicago Park District facilities.STRATEGY 2Increase the influence of arts and culture inNorth Lawndale while expanding and buildingthe capacity of our local network of artists. Activate open spaces and vacant lotsthroughout the community with public art,such as commissioned art installations, pop-upexhibits and performances, rotating artwork fromneighborhood schools, and performances curatedby local artistic organizations. Curate cultural experiences in green and openspaces such as our community gardens and parksto build awareness of these community assets.12 North Lawndale Quality-of-Life Plan Executive Summary Foster mentorship relationships for youth and localartists with arts-centered placements in the City’ssummer programs and arts and tech training and byconnecting local artists with each other and artistsoutside the community.Champions: NLCCC Arts and Culture Committee,24th Ward Alderman’s Office

WE WILL MEASURE OURSUCCESS BY:1. Growth of our annual publicarts and cultural events: moreannual installations and events2. Number of communityparticipants engaged in artsand culture programming3. Number of area artists orresidents hired through newarts and culture programming4. T wo additional designatedexhibition spaces and thecreation of a multifunctionalspace400-600visitors annually attendOpen House Chicago atthe Nichols Tower/PowerHouse in Homan SquareNorth Lawndale’s arts andculture programming includesthe School of the Art Institute ofChicago’s permanent classroomand festivals at the Douglas ParkCultural Center“ In North Lawndale for years there’s been a lackof what I would say engaged beauty, and I thinkthat art can bring some ‘engaged beauty’ intothe community.” — Sheila McNary, Arts and Culture chairMany residents want tostrengthen the sense ofownership and residentinvolvement in local artsand culture activities andlarge-scale events such asThe Westside Music FestivalArts and Culture 13

ISSUE AREA IHEALTH AND WELLNESSWe will address health inequities in North Lawndale by educating residentsand advocating to improve the overall health and wellness of the community.STRATEGY 1STRATEGY 2STRATEGY 3Increase our resident’s healthcare access.Widen the scope and increase the availabilityof mental health services in the community.Establish new programs and systems thatsupport physical wellness. E stablish West Side community-based mentalhealth center to provide a variety of free servicesin the community. Provide nutrition education to teach residentsabout how to find and prepare affordable, healthyfoods. Host health screenings at community events suchas festivals and resource fairs to detect and preventconditions from diabetes to asthma. Host mental health-related outreach eventsto help connect social and emotional learningprograms with mental health services. Train TR4IM block leaders as community healthworkers: members of the community who educatelocal residents on health issues and connect themwith health and social service resources. Host annual trauma conference events to educatefamilies on how to respond to negative communityevents and trauma in a productive and healthy way. Host regular fitness events and programs, suchas a walk-a-thon or yoga in the park, to publicizecommunity resources and foster a greater senseof safety when exercising outdoors. Use community outreach to increase healthinsurance coverage, including an annual campaignduring the Affordable Care Act’s open enrollmentperiod.Champions: Sinai Health System, St Anthony Hospital A ssess resident knowledge of and interest in aholistic wellness center that would join counselingwith therapeutic activities such as aromatherapy,art, yoga, and healthy-cooking classes. E stablish a community-wide program to limitthe number of youth who start smoking, and includetobacco treatment in local mental health services.Champions: Sinai Behavioral Health14 North Lawndale Quality-of-Life Plan Executive Summary Create community partnerships with localgardens and farms and expand the number ofbackyard gardens.Champions: Sinai Community Institute, The Farm on Ogden

57%WE WILL MEASURE OURSUCCESS BY:1. Number of North Lawndaleresidents accessing servicesat a new community mentalhealth center and fewerreporting a lack of servicesdue to cost2. Number of North Lawndaleresidents enrolled in holistichealth services and in nutritioneducation programs57%1 in 4 North Lawndaleadults currently have PTSDsymptoms, but fewer than1 in 10 has been diagnosedwith PTSDof North Lawndaleresidents eat less thanone serving ofvegetables dailyThat is less than a quarterof the recommendeddaily intake3. Number of residentsparticipating in communityfitness initiatives“ You can’t have somebody who has a problemtake three buses for mental health services.That’s just way too much of an effort.”4. M ore residents who receivea routine check up5. More residents who reporthaving one or more servingsof fruit and/or vegetablesdaily and fewer adults whoreport no leisure-timephysical activity— Dr. Carolyn Vessel, I AM ABLE Center for FamilyResident who had a diabetesblood test screening in thepast three years:39% of men and58% of womenHealth & Wellness 1545%

ISSUE AREA IPUBLIC SAFETYWe will create and maintain trustful relationships within the community toproperly engage those who are in need of support to increase peace and safety.STRATEGY 1STRATEGY 2STRATEGY 3Perform violence interventions to identifyproblems, decrease youth mortality, andprevent incarceration.Support a range of incarceration diversion tacticsthat limit youths’ interaction with the traditionalcriminal justice system and reduce recidivism.Connect residents to existing sources of spiritualand emotional support that promote peace. Increase street outreach and violence interruptionto mediate all potential conflicts and to disruptcrime by connecting individuals to the resourcesthey need. Promote restorative justice as a less punitive,more productive way of addressing crime thatproduces healing and reconciliation. Connect at-risk members of our communityto a supportive network of counseling and casemanagement services for issues such as mentalhealth, addiction, homelessness, and more. Organize the community in a public responseto violence to ensure such activity does notbecome normalized.Champions: Lawndale Christian Legal Center, St. Agatha’s, UCAN16 North Lawndale Quality-of-Life Plan Executive Summary Help formerly incarcerated individuals integrate intothe community and not become repeat offenders byexpanding affordable and transitional housing andworkforce development services. Build stronger community relationships with lawenforcement through expanding their participationin the Bridging the Divide program, which placesofficers in local schools.Champions: Cook County Restorative Justice Community Court,A Safe Haven, 10th and 11th District Identify church and spiritual resources within andoutside the community and partner with them tocreate dialogue and promote peace. Create a directory of the constellation of resourcesand services available in North Lawndale and makeit easily accessible through a mobile online app.Champions: NLCCC Communications & TechnologySubcommittees

WE WILL MEASURE OURSUCCESS BY:1. Reduction in the total numberof shootings per year2. Increase in the annual numberof participants in the Bridgingthe Divide program3. More violence interventionstreet outreach workersNorth Lawndale’s violentcrime rate was 2.4 timeshigher than the cityaverage from 2010 to 2016North Lawndale is served bynonprofits dedicated to helpingresidents find jobs, addressmental illness and reintegrateafter incarceration4. M ore participants in theNorth Lawndale RestorativeJustice Community Courtand Circle Kee

NORTH LAWNDALE ARE OWNER-OCCUPIED 24% 76% 125,000 35,000 1960 2018 North Lawndale is known for both its greystones and the K-Town Historic District More than 5,000 renter households in our community struggle to pay for rent and utilities each month WE WILL MEASURE OUR SUCCESS BY: 1. Creation of a North Lawndale Homeowners Association 2.