CNT was delighted to participate again in the Chicago Community Trust’s On the Table on May 8th, 2018. Over lunch at CNT’s offices, we hosted a range of guests in a conversation about environmental justice. Attendees included chairs and co-chairs from the Robbins and Chatham RainReady community steering committees, students from a local high school, and members of the Elevated Chicago coalition. The topic was “Beyond Baby Boomers: Passing the Torch on Local Environmental Justice,” addressing... Read the rest of this entry »

Over and over again we hear that infrastructure in the U.S. has a terrible report card and millions, billions, even trillions of dollars are needed to fix it. Discussed less, however, are the benefits of investing, in particular to upgrade infrastructure beyond the replacement of 100-year-old pipes. We also don’t hear about the high costs of pursuing business as usual—what are we losing by continuing to do things the same way, rather than adapting to changing local needs with systems... Read the rest of this entry »

The cost of living has been rising across the U.S. even as incomes stagnate. While increases in big ticket items like housing and health insurance make the news, growing water bills have gained less attention. Water was relatively inexpensive for so long that many communities only began to meter usage in recent years. But costs are on the rise and without some proactive solutions the situation is only going to get worse. In municipalities with growing populations or service areas,... Read the rest of this entry »

A big thank you to all the friends, donors, sponsors and partners who attended the Sustain-a-City Celebration on September 28th, CNT’s biggest event of the year. The Celebration highlighted CNT’s work, and raised nearly $100,000 for our efforts to help cities operate more sustainably and efficiently. Featured at the Celebration was CNT’s Urban Sustainability Tech Challenge, a five-month program that unlocks talent in our communities to connect entrepreneurs and community members to each... Read the rest of this entry »

The 51st Street Green Line Chicago Transit Authority station is bustling with activity.  Every Wednesday, Bronzeville community members come out in droves to visit Boxville Market at Calumet and 51st Avenues to buy vintage clothes, eat locally-made (and often locally-grown) food – tacos, jerk chicken, sweet potato fries-, listen to local DJs, and share space with one another. Across the street from Boxville is a community garden, which provides a sanctuary of green in the area.  There... Read the rest of this entry »

This month, CNT was thrilled to provide its expertise on the topic of urban flooding and highlight its multi-partner work in Chatham and the Village of Midlothian to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) as it explores the issue of urban flooding nationwide.  Founded in 1863, NAS has served as a private, nonprofit organization providing leading research and guidance on issues of science and technology on a national level. The organization brings together experts from diverse fields to... Read the rest of this entry »

For almost 40 years, CNT has been a national leader in sustainable urban development. CNT’s signature efforts have advanced its commitment to improving urban communities and the quality of life of all their residents. CNT friends, partners and supporters plan to gather and celebrate CNT’s innovations in urban development on September 28th at our Sustain-a-City Celebration. A truly unique evening, this event  will showcase our Urban Sustainability Tech Challenge. CNT’s Tech Challenge... Read the rest of this entry »

This month Chicago will have visitors from a cohort of Australian public works professionals stopping by the city before heading onto the American Public Works Association 2017 Congress, the annual conference for members of the public works industry. The group of Australian professionals will participate in a series of tours throughout the city visiting government agencies, public works and non-profits to garner an understanding of Public Works in the Chicago region. Included in their tour... Read the rest of this entry »

The City of Chicago saw record rainfall in the Spring of 2017, and April ranked in the top ten warmest and wettest Aprils since records began in 1872.  Between January and July of this year, Cook County waterways saw nearly twice the number of combined sewer overflows that occurred between January and July of 2016. These rainfall records bear out the 2014 U.S National Climate Assessment  projection that the Midwest will face increasingly frequent and severe storms resulting in... Read the rest of this entry »

CNT's work in equipping communities to be resilient in the face of climate change has involved various approaches, including utilizing urban data and analytics, creating tools, pushing policy work, and working on the ground with communities and their members. CNT's latest tool, My RainReady, has incorporated a number of those methods to help communities and individuals become more climate resilient.  A virtual home assessment tool, My RainReady allows homeowners to learn about... Read the rest of this entry »