Equiticity

This week, the folks behind eight community-led arts projects near transit got some great news. Elevated Chicago, which promotes equitable transit-oriented development, and the MacArthur Foundation announced the three year program providing $340,000 in contributions to help these initiatives get rolling.

Earlier this month, two of Chicago's Black-led sustainable transportation groups joined forces for one last event to mark the end of the warm-weather cycling season. The sixth annual Chicago Bike Collective Ride was cohosted by the mobility justice nonprofit Equiticity and SouthSide Critical Mass, the south-of-Madison-Street sibling of the monthly Daley Plaza event.

On Tuesday, I hopped on my bicycle and high-tailed it from Chicago to Springfield, Illinois, the state capital, in an effort to sample my first-ever horseshoe sandwich. In case you're not familiar with that delicacy, it's an open-faced sandwich composed of thick-sliced toast, a protein (often hamburger patties, but there are several other options), cheese sauce, and french fries. It's an indigenous dish of Flower City and, as far as I know, it's no longer available in the Windy City.

Last week, the mobility justice nonprofit Equiticity hosted the event "Claiming Our Space: Powering an Equitable Future" with the intention of introducing participants to "the breadth of our vision, mission, philosophies, and work." According to the organization, "Equiticity's 2025 signature event is an immersive, two-day convening designed to center Black, Brown, and Indigenous leadership, celebrate community power, and advance critical conversations and actions."

As regular Streetsblog Chicago readers are well aware, right now the future of public transportation in our region is not looking bright.

Read Part 1: "Can automated enforcement, 25 mph speed limit be done equitably?" here.

Read "Part 2: How do we convince residents and alders to support safer street designs?" here.

Last week, the mobility justice nonprofit Equiticity held its annual meeting, titled "Racial Equity in Motion: Exploring the Intersection of Transportation, Environmental Justice, and Public Health," at Impact House, 200 W. Madison.

As the system celebrates its 1,000th station, they've gotten rid of the $1.20 out-of-station parking charge for members locking up within 40 meters of a full docking station.