Chatham, a neighborhood on Chicago’s southwest side, has a proud history of being one of Chicago’s most enduring black middle class neighborhoods. As with most of the country, however, the spectre of the recession is still looming, and Chatham’s residents have been working hard to bring in new economic development opportunities. One of the biggest obstacles to attracting new businesses and residents lies deep beneath Chatham’s streets. The aging sewers running through Chatham are often... Read the rest of this entry »

Discuss their bicameral Urban Flooding Awareness Act of 2015 CHICAGO – Today, U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05) and U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) met at the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) with Chicago residents whose homes or businesses have flooded as a result of urban flooding and discussed their bicameral Urban Flooding Awareness Act. Their legislation is designed to address increased flooding in urban communities and to find solutions for the urban communities impacted... Read the rest of this entry »

What if you could predict where flooding would happen next in your community or get a text alert when basements in your neighborhood are flooding? Often, when flooding occurs, there’s little warning beyond weather forecasts about the presence of flash flooding.  The Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) and the Army Corps of Engineers are working together on a new initiative called RainReadySM Alert, a predictive flood monitoring and alert system based on aggregated data from sump... Read the rest of this entry »

The RainReady℠ program, an initiative of the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT), has received a $30,000 EPA Environmental Justice Award. The grant will be used to support CNT’s work helping homeowners reduce sewer backups and flooding in Chatham, a neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side. The work is being done in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.  “We’re very grateful to the EPA. This comes at a critical time as cities like Chicago brace for more frequent and severe... Read the rest of this entry »

Every urban community and neighborhood around the world served by a centralized water supply system is plagued by the same problem: Aging water infrastructure that slowly leaks and loses trillions of gallons of water every year. The looming capital investment necessary to repair and upgrade aging water infrastructure will put a severe financial strain on utilities and local governments that are already having trouble avoiding red ink. This, along with the impending impact of climate change,... Read the rest of this entry »

 “People do not realize that this block, which becomes the dumping ground of rain runoff from other communities, experiences mini Katrinas yearly.”—Midlothian resident The Chicagoland community of Midlothian is no stranger to flooding. Located at the convergence of three watersheds, it has seen its absorbent open spaces paved over by a century of suburban development. At this point, even light to moderate rainstorms can cause overbanking from the creeks and the stormwater conveyance... Read the rest of this entry »

New state study finds 92% of flood damage claims are from homeowners and businesses outside floodplains   SPRINGFIELD – Illinois experienced the wettest June in recorded history as we continue to see an increase in the frequency and intensity of rain events nationwide. This has resulted in more and more flooded homes and businesses, bringing with it the associated costs of property damage, negative health impacts, loss of work time and a significant loss in property value. A new... Read the rest of this entry »

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05) and U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced the bicameral Urban Flooding Awareness Act to address increased flooding in urban communities and to find solutions for the urban communities impacted.  “Flooding is not just a coastal issue. In recent years, cities, like Chicago, have experienced unprecedented flooding events. While emergency programs provide relief for families and businesses in traditional flood areas, those... Read the rest of this entry »

Our recent report The Prevalence and Cost of Urban Flooding was a game changer in our efforts to keep homes and businesses dry and increase community resiliency in the face of increasingly severe rainstorms. We set out to pinpoint where exactly urban flooding was happening, and to our surprise we found that the majority of flood damage occurs outsideof designated floodplains. Because most flood relief programs focus on people who live within floodplains, we discovered... Read the rest of this entry »

Across the country, millions of dollars are spent every year repairing the damage caused by urban flooding – and it’s likely to keep getting worse. Heavy rain events are increasing, absorbent surfaces are lost to concrete and asphalt, and resource-strapped cities have fewer and fewer funds available for large stormwater infrastructure projects. Our latest report, A RainReady Nation, offers a suite of cost-effective solutions to keep homes and businesses dry. The Center for Neighborhood... Read the rest of this entry »