Knowing what your neighborhood needs is one thing. Knowing how to navigate zoning, public investment, and government decision-making can be another.

CNT’s academy-based learning programs help residents connect the two. Through practical instruction, peer learning, and opportunities to apply new skills, participants build the knowledge and confidence to help shape their communities’ futures.

The Chicago Community Planning Academy (CCPA), offered in partnership with the Chicago Architecture Center, introduces residents to the planning processes that influence housing, transportation, development, and neighborhood investment. CNT’s Civic Innovation Hub similarly combines learning, data, and technical support to help residents and community partners in the Calumet Region address local infrastructure challenges, including stormwater resilience.

Both programs recognize that community power grows when residents can connect their lived experience with the tools and relationships needed to act.

What Changed for CCPA Participants

CCPA’s 2026 cohort explored Chicago’s planning history, zoning and land use, municipal finance, development, and climate justice. Participants connected historical policies such as redlining and disinvestment with conditions they see in their neighborhoods today.

Site visits, guest instructors, and interactive activities helped make complex topics tangible. Participant feedback highlighted the value of real-world examples and learning alongside people with different neighborhood experiences. Throughout the program, residents asked practical questions: How do zoning changes happen? Who makes the decisions? How can communities participate earlier?

The program evaluation documented substantial growth in participants’ confidence. Among the participant responses, average confidence scores on a five-point scale increased:

• 89.1%: Identifying the people or departments responsible for decisions
• 77.8%: Applying planning principles to propose neighborhood solutions
• 72.4%: Explaining zoning and development concepts

Separately, 14 participants completed the final assessment of the program, earning an average score of 84%.

These findings show progress in both understanding planning concepts and feeling prepared to use them. Knowing which department to approach can make a neighborhood idea easier to pursue. Understanding zoning can help a resident ask more informed questions about a proposed development. Connecting planning principles to a local challenge can help turn a concern into a proposal.

Building Beyond the Classroom

Participants also made clear that learning should continue after the program ends. They expressed interest in technical assistance for community projects, connections with planning professionals, and opportunities to meet funders and developers.

Their feedback is helping identify priorities for future cohorts, including more time for practical application, stronger relationships among participants, and earlier support for capstone projects. We’re also working to develop ongoing alumni programming, with three events already under our belt.

The lasting promise of academy-based learning is what residents can do with what they learn. By helping people understand public processes, identify decision-makers, and develop neighborhood solutions, CNT and our partners are building the capacity for community leadership that extends well beyond the classroom.