The transportation sector is changing rapidly: growth in rideshare services (e.g. Uber, Lyft, and bikeshare), vehicle electrification, and introduction of autonomous vehicles will together lead to a complete re-imagining of our transportation system. New mobility options create new opportunities, but also the potential to widen disparities by income and race – unless we explicitly plan for equity. For that reason, the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) participated on Chicago’s New... Read the rest of this entry »

Last week, I had a chance to introduce the Center for Neighborhood Technology to two new groups of potential friends and partners. First, we were visited by a group of Google product managers from across the nation. Many of CNT’s online interactive tools are based on Google Maps, and our conversation quickly focused on how we use these tools to identify and address urban issues. We had innumerable questions for each other: how can we partner to better calculate local transportation-related... Read the rest of this entry »

On January 23, 2019, the Chicago City Council passed an amendment to the Municipal Code governing transit-oriented developments (TODs). This amendment modifies transit-served locations to include projects in vicinity of more than 20 CTA-designated high-ridership and high-frequency bus routes along eight1 major corridors and corridor segments. With this amendment, the City administration will also have to create and publish an Equitable TOD (eTOD) Implementation Policy Plan over the next year... Read the rest of this entry »

I’m happy to welcome CNT’s newest staff person, Elizabeth Irvin, who starts work with us today as our Transportation Director. Elizabeth joins us from the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP), where she worked on evaluating the impacts of road and transit projects, identifying opportunities and risks of emerging transportation technologies, and advancing strategies to improve equity and sustainability in the region’s transportation system. She previously worked for Metro Boston’s... Read the rest of this entry »

On Tuesday, December 4, CNT opened our offices to partners and friends both old and new. We rearranged our space to display our current work – see diagram below – and spent three nonstop hours describing it.  Around 150 people came through (we weren’t keeping close count), talked to our staff and board about our priorities and projects, and connected with other friends. Most commonly overhead conversation snippets at the open house: I really like that AllTransit tool. (Thanks,... Read the rest of this entry »

This just in—a new tool addressing the promise and challenges in using Opportunity Zones (OZs) to drive development in underserved urban areas. The National Opportunity Zones Ranking Report was produced by LOCUS in conjunction with Smart Growth America and SPARCC – a national network rooted in Atlanta, the SF-Oakland Bay Area, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, and Memphis to accelerate equitable development without displacement, climate resilience and public health achievement.... Read the rest of this entry »

Last night we saw over 100 friends, partners, and other supporters of urban sustainability at the CNT Reception. We’re excited to have been hosted by the Chicago Connectory, a great space created by Bosch and 1871 to help startups and thought leaders in the growing Internet of Things (IoT) field. I’d like to particularly thank Dennis Boecker, Bosch USA’s Global Lead for IT Innovation and co-founder of the Connectory, for hosting us and speaking to the guests; to SB Friedman as a lead sponsor... Read the rest of this entry »

As a new CEO, I passed an important milestone last week: my first board meeting. I’ve been happy to find that CNT has an active and engaged board, and even happier to find that we continually add interesting new people. Last week, CNT welcomed a new board member: Stefan Gspurning, Head of Urban Mobility for Bosch. My introduction to Stefan started with a visit to the Chicago Connectory, a collaboration between Bosch and 1871 that provides an innovation space for startups and growing... Read the rest of this entry »

By Julia Gerasimenko, Active Transportation Alliance People who scoff at the significant cost of the Red Line Extension ($2+ billion) shouldn’t overlook the significant social and economic benefits it would deliver to several of the most isolated and disinvested communities in the city. New analysis using the Center for Neighborhood Technology’s AllTransitTM tool puts numbers behind these benefits. Funded by TransitCenter, the tool allows users to enter an address and discover the... Read the rest of this entry »

By Rosie Powers, CNT Young Innovators Attendees of this year’s CNT Young Innovators’ Summer Fundraiser were greeted by a day full of sunshine, locally-sourced fare, and an engaging discussion about sustainable food systems. This year’s event was held at Homestead on the Roof in Chicago’s West Town neighborhood. The restaurant’s rooftop garden was a perfect setting for a discussion about sustainable food systems in the Chicago region. CNT’s new CEO Bob Dean introduced the event,... Read the rest of this entry »