Bridging Visions, Accelerating Impact: Elevated Works ETOD Technical Assistance Program Impact, by CNT and Elevated Chicago, highlights new best practices for publicly funded community development in general and equitable transit-oriented development specifically. 

With case studies, a comprehensive project list and other features, this report highlights the impact of the City of Chicago’s Equitable Transit-Oriented Development Technical Assistance Program from 2023 to 2025. The City’s $1 million investment in the Elevated Works technical assistance program we coordinated ensured the success of 29 projects, representing $300 million invested in Chicago communities.  

All 29 projects made meaningful progress, with 7 reaching groundbreaking and 5 more celebrating grand openings. Beyond these individual project milestones, Bridging Visions, Accelerating Impact describes shared successes and challenges for the entire pipeline and describes how we've advocated for systems-level changes to reduce barriers for equitable transit-oriented development in Chicago moving forward.   

From 2023 to 2025, we partnered with Elevated Chicago, IFF, Metropolitan Planning Council, Rudd Resources and 13 other firms and groups to create the Elevated Works Equitable Transit-Oriented Development Technical Assistance Program. Services we provided to the 29 community-based and nonprofit developers included:

• Coaching
• System navigation
• Technical assistance
• Peer learning to a cohort of emerging developers building near public transit

From grocery stores to affordable intergenerational housing to community spaces, local developers are adding to the fabric of their communities, preventing displacement, and celebrating community culture. As this report shows, the technical assistance we provided can accelerate these types of community improvements. This report was produced with support from The
Chicago Community Trust and MacArthur Foundation.