By Neil Stein
Neil is a member of Strong Towns Chicago who works as a technical writer at a software company.
On a Sunday in late July that alternated between warm sun and light drizzle, over 60 people took an informative stroll through the South Loop. The event was organized by Strong Towns Chicago, the local chapter of the Strong Towns organization.
Launched in 2008 by ex-transportation engineer Chuck Marohn, Strong Towns works to make U.S. cities more sustainable transportation-friendly, and financially sound. To achieve this mission, the group encourages bottom-up organization and financially resilient 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.
The South Loop 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 Ald. Pat Dowell (3rd) about the history of the area beyond its industrial past. They also observed how easy or difficult it is to navigate the community area on foot, by bike and by transit.
The event was the second walk this summer organized by Strong Towns Chicago. In June, members got a closer look at another neighborhood undergoing change, when a few dozen people gathered outside the Logan Square Blue Line station. Amid the competing sounds of construction, the popular farmers’ market, and an annual arts festival, participants walked north along Milwaukee Avenue and into side streets.
The tour encouraged them to notice how variations in tree cover impacted their comfort, and how construction projects disrupted accessibility. Joining the group on this walk was Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th). Participants talked with the alder about how the ongoing reconstruction of the Logan Square traffic circle area 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 can be to convince property owners to put urban land to more productive uses. Strong Towns Chicago will pay special attention to how Ald. Ramirez-Rosa approaches future opportunities to encourage equitable walk/bike/transit-friendly development in his ward.
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 car-centric North DuSable Lakeshore Drive rebuild.
Members have also participated in city planning meetings typically only attended only by opponents of development plans. The issues that Strong Towns Chicago members advocate for are diverse, but usually involve issues of safer street designs and affordable housing.
Strong Towns Chicago 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. They also showed support for transit-oriented development in Fulton Market.
In addition, members have 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 to create a car-free, family-friendly space. She and neighbors presented their "courtyard in my backyard" proposal to U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (5th) to ask for his support to repurpose United States Postal Service property on the block.
Strong Towns members also submitted op-eds to local news outlets. 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. We 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. He's 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 our educational activities and advocacy, Strong Towns Chicago is working to make our neighborhoods safer and more pleasant places to live, work and move through. From small community gatherings to City Hall, this quiet grassroots 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 connect with hundreds of like-minded, passionate urbanists, and attend the next walking tour on September 9 in Hyde Park. You can also follow our Instagram account and sign up for our email newsletter.
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