RainReady℠ Projects

Since 2012, RainReady has worked with communities to prevent urban flooding.

Current Projects

RainReady is currently working with homeowners and municipalities on a variety of green infrastructure solutions.

 

Urban Flooding Baseline Project
Center for Neighborhood Technology is developing a visualized map of flooding indicators and urban flooding locations in the Calumet region of Cook County.

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RainReady℠ Home
The Villages of Oak Park and Wilmette partnered with CNT to provide RainReady Home assessments and matching grants to install rain gardens and other nature-based solutions.

 


Completed Projects

RainReady, Heart of the Calumet, IL (round 1, 2017)
In 2017, CNT completed climate resiliency planning for 6 communities in the south suburbs of Cook County, IL. The work was funded by Cook County, IL and the US Army Corps of Engineers. Update: In 2022, the Cook County Government asked CNT to help lead a new project to help build sustainable green infrastructure based on the completed plans.

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Suburban Cook County Residential Resilience Program
This grant program, funded by Cook County, was done in partnership with the Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago (NHS) and the North West Housing Partnership (NWHP). Eligible homeowners received flood mitigation grants of up to $25,000 with grant applications through NHS and NWHP. This program served residents of suburban Cook County, Illinois.


Residential Flood Assistance Program
CNT's RainReady team, as a Delegate Agency to the City of Chicago, provided flood repair and flood mitigation services to low-income homes across Chicago. This work was funded by a CDBG Disaster Recovery grant given in response to the 2013 flood.

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RainReady Midlothian
This award-winning community plan for the Midlothian, IL was created from a partnership of the Center for Neighborhood Technology, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Floodlothian Midlothian, and the Village of Midlothian. Click here to read current updates on the plan.

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The Economic Benefits of Green Infrastructure
A Case Study of Lancaster, PA. We quantified the cost savings, social benefits, and environmental advantages of Lancaster’s Green Infrastructure Plan. The work was funded by USEPA.

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Upgrade Your Infrastructure
A Guide to the Green Infrastructure Portfolio Standard And Building Stormwater Retrofits. We implemented a Green Infrastructure Portfolio Standard for two communities, and published a guidance manual for municipalities. The work was done in partnership with American Rivers and was funded by US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA).

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Monitoring and Documenting the Performance of Stormwater Best Management Practices
In 2012, we monitored 15 rain gardens to evaluate their ability to manage a 100-year storm. The work was funded by the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center.