Strong Towns Chicago’s summer of activities to make the city safer, more livable and resilient

On a Sunday in late July that alternated between sunny warmth and light drizzle, over 60 people took an informative stroll through the South Loop. Organized by Strong Towns Chicago, the walking tour took participants from the ornate 19th century architecture of Printers’ Row, through the quiet post-1970s cul-de-sac of Dearborn Park, to the glittering skyscrapers of Michigan Avenue and the welcoming canopy of Grant Park. The event brought together a diverse array of people from across the city to hear from neighborhood activists, local business owners, and 3rd Ward Alderwoman Pat Dowell about the history of the area beyond its industrial past and to observe how easy or difficult it is to navigate on foot, by bike and by transit.

The event was the second walk this summer organized by Strong Towns Chicago, the local chapter of the national Strong Towns organization. Strong Towns advocates for cities, towns and neighborhoods to be safe, livable and inviting. To achieve this mission, Strong Towns encourages bottom-up organization and a financially sound pattern of development. All too often, efforts to make our streets safer or give our neighbors more housing options risk becoming divisive culture war battlegrounds. The Strong Towns movement embraces a unifying and incremental rule: No neighborhood should have radical change forced upon it, but no neighborhood can be exempt from change.

In June, Strong Towns members got a closer look at another neighborhood undergoing change when a few dozen gathered outside the Logan Square Blue Line station. Amid the competing sounds of construction, the popular farmers’ market and the annual arts festival, participants walked north along Milwaukee Avenue and into side streets. They were encouraged to notice how the variation in tree cover impacted their comfort and how accessibility was disrupted by construction. Joining the group on this walk was 35th Ward Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa. Participants talked with the alderman about how the ongoing reconstruction of the square might improve walkability and street life. Another topic of discussion was the proposed upzoning of a strip mall-like area along Milwaukee Avenue and how difficult it is to convince property owners to put urban land to more productive use. Strong Towns Chicago will pay special attention to how Ramirez-Rosa approaches future opportunities to align Logan Square with the growth that it deserves.

In addition to the popular walking tours, Strong Towns Chicago members have spent the summer engaging in other community activism. They were among the large, enthusiastic crowd at the recent Save Our Lakefront Rally to push for a less automobile-centric North DuSable Lakeshore Drive. Members have also participated in city planning meetings typically attended only by opponents of development. The issues that Strong Towns Chicago members advocate for are diverse, but usually pertain to safe streets and affordable housing. Members recently attended meetings to voice their support for the contentious Marcey Street project in Lincoln Park - which put the issue of aldermanic prerogative in the spotlight - and also for transit-oriented development in Fulton Market. Strong Towns Chicago members have also been hard at work organizing neighbors to present their own proposals. In Lincoln Square, Alicia Pederson kicked off a project to redevelop the 2500 block of West Lawrence Avenue into a mixed-use courtyard that creates a car-free, family-friendly space. She and neighbors presented their “courtyard in my backyard” proposal to Congressman Mike Quigley for approval to repurpose USPS property on the block.

In addition to all this activity, this article might not be the first you’ve read from a Strong Towns Chicago member. Strong Towns members have been submitting op-eds as well. Aaron Feldman made the case in the Tribune for improving Western Avenue with Bus Rapid Transit and upzoning and Ronan O’Callaghan wrote in Crain’s about smart planning for the future growth of the Loop.

The group has much more in the works. They recently launched the Strong Towns Chicago YouTube channel and the Strong Towns Chicago Speaker Series. The inaugural video is an interview with popular Chicago-based YouTuber Stewart Hicks. Hicks is an architect and educator whose videos critically examine the built environment, with a frequent focus on Chicago. Future short-form video content is also being planned, in addition to a podcast series and a new website.

With its educational activities and advocacy, Strong Towns Chicago is working to make our neighborhoods safer and more pleasant to live, work and move through. From small community gatherings to city hall, this quiet, bottom-up revolution in our city’s development is slowly gathering steam and getting louder. The best way to take part is to join the slack workspace to be connected with hundreds of like-minded, passionate urbanists and to attend the next walking tour on September 9 in Hyde Park. You can also follow the Instagram account and sign up for the email newsletter.