“Having an organization that folks trust and that can direct resources to where they are of the most benefit is powerful.”
~ Debra Kutska, Cook County Government
Urban Opportunity Agenda
The Urban Opportunity Agenda website offers ideas and metrics for simultaneously combatting poverty and promoting urban sustainability.
Our Work
Story
topics: Climate, Green Stormwater Infrastructure, Housing, Urban Flooding, Water
“We always think it’s going to be a big movement, a big force, something that’s beyond ourselves that’s going to be our solution when in fact, it’s us– the moms, the grandmoms, the kids,” Lorée Washington, a Riverdale community leader, said during a recent virtual workshop for residents of South...
Publication
topics: Climate, Green Stormwater Infrastructure, Water
Today’s environment and public health concerns in Chicago’s Southeast side are a result of deliberate urban planning and policy decisions made since the early 20th century. Shedding light on these decisions brings context to the land use, industrial, and environmental differences that exist today...
Story
topics: Climate, Environmental Justice
Climate change impacts are felt by individuals and communities all over the world through intense or frequent storms, floods, and increased exposure to air and water pollutants. Who is most impacted by this? Unfortunately, those who are lower-income and have non-white racial or ethnic identities....
Publication
topics: Climate, Green Stormwater Infrastructure, Urban Flooding, Water
This report examines changing rainfall amounts across five cities in the Great Lakes region and seeks to understand whether the regulatory permits and community planning efforts are aligned with robust and current rainfall estimates. Rainfall amount is a key factor considered in stormwater and...
Story
topics: Climate, Transportation
This past week, as a member of the Toward Equitable Electric Mobility (TEEM) Illinois cohort, I had the pleasure of attending TEEM’s first in-person annual convening and Forth’s Roadmap Conference in Portland, Oregon. The electric vehicle sector is revved up and eager to expand in the face of the...
Story
topics: Climate, Environmental Justice, Water
As data analysts and policy professionals, we spend a lot of time at our desks and behind screens, analyzing quantitative data, active or proposed policies and programs, and various written reports and documents. Much of what we analyze and review is -- or becomes -- an aggregation and...
Story
topics: Climate, Data Analysis, Environmental Justice, Equitable Transit Oriented Development, Housing, Policy, Transportation, Urban Flooding, Water
The Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) has been a strong supporter of the concept of Justice40 since its announcement in early 2021. The goal of this program is to direct at least 40% of the benefits of federal investment to communities that have historically been left behind. Defining those...
Publication
topics: Climate, Equitable Transit Oriented Development, Green Stormwater Infrastructure, Housing, Policy, Sustainable Economic Development
Homes are built to keep us safe and healthy. Climate change threatens this stability. CNT— in partnership with Elevate and the City of Evanston— aims to increase the climate resiliency of affordable housing in the name of human welfare. This will be possible through an innovative pilot program to...
Story
topics: Climate, Data Analysis, Policy, Urban Flooding, Water
The Urban Flooding Baseline Project seeks to clearly define the problem of urban flooding in the Calumet region using available quantitative data sources and first-hand pictorial data from residents to improve flood mitigation plans. At the end of July, we completed the Pilot and Phase 1 of the...
Story
topics: Climate, Equitable Transit Oriented Development, Policy, Transportation
Public transportation is a climate solution, and CNT’s recent report for the Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) shows what an important role it plays in controlling emissions nationwide. Public transit in the U.S. saved 63 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MMT CO2e)...
Strengthening Transit Through Community Partnerships
