For Immediate Release: Jan. 15, 2016 WASHINGTON DC – The Transportation Research Board at its annual conference this week honored a report co-authored by the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) as the best transportation and land use paper of 2016.   The pioneering research debunks arbitrary standards that typical U.S. cities use to determine spaces for vehicle parking in their zoning codes. The report focuses on the District of Columbia, and helps perfect the use of location... Continue reading »

We are delighted to announce that the City of Chicago is supporting CNT’s education and outreach on rain readiness. Working alongside urban flooding victims themselves, we help people identify practical and affordable improvements to protect their property from urban flooding - approaches that can be implemented in any neighborhood in America. What’s particularly exciting is that CNT’s unique organizing approach – flood victim action through Resident Action Groups  - has caught the... Continue reading »

Urban flooding can quickly destroy a home or business, and it’s happening across the country more frequently than ever before. It’s often caused by intense rainfall on impervious paved surfaces, though urban flooding can also happen when old, undersized or poorly maintained stormwater infrastructure fails. In either case, urban flooding often occurs in ways and at times you would least expect. That’s what happened one night last year to Pueschel Schneier’s Pensacola, Fla., home when she... Continue reading »

Five miles southwest of Chicago’s Loop sit three nearly vacant buildings that were once part of the Central Manufacturing District (CMD), one of the first industrial parks in the country. In their heyday, these three buildings housed tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs, the sort of well paying, blue collar work that is largely a relic of a bygone era. Each building is about a half million square feet, and a freight rail line runs adjacent to the site (though investment would be needed to... Continue reading »

The Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) has been contracted through the City of Chicago’s Residential Flood Assistance Program to provide streamlined flood damage repair and prevention for 70 homes victimized by the April 2013 flooding that crippled parts of Chicago’s south and west sides. Through CNT’s RainReady Home service, each eligible homeowner will receive a free home inspection to identify opportunities for flood repair and prevention. The RainReady Home team will then make... Continue reading »

The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) has helped chart a new framework for regional development focused on underutilized land in existing communities and anchored by walkable neighborhoods, transit, and freight. But our new report, Putting Places First: Targeting Infrastructure Improvements to Spur Investment in Priority Development Areas, reveals that the transportation projects we’re funding aren’t aligned with—and sometimes are completely opposed to—that goal. Cities in the... Continue reading »

Chicago’s landscape is quickly changing. As was reported by the Chicago Sun-Times, the Chicago Plan Commission has approved a 99-year lease for the development of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. With this immense project beginning to materialize, it is crucial that the city’s public infrastructure grows in tandem. The construction of the Lucas Museum in the Near South Side area represents an important contribution to one of Chicago’s most historically important neighborhoods. A beacon of... Continue reading »

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... Continue reading »

Last week, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle released the county budget for fiscal year 2016. While this may not sound terribly exciting, this particular budget holds the keys to building a strong and resilient Cook County. Although there has been much concern about proposed tax increases, this budget actually presents an opportunity to relieve the cost-of-living burden on Cook County families. As she has stated in the past, President Preckwinkle’s bold plan to prioritize the... Continue reading »

The Chicago area is now home to a new peer-to-peer carsharing service. CNT is spearheading an innovative two-year study in Chicago, in partnership with the Shared Use Mobility Center, and carsharing operator Getaround. Often called “Airbnb for cars,” peer-to-peer carsharing allows car owners to rent their vehicles to others when not in use via an online reservation platform. Since the average car sits unused more than 90% of the time, according to a 2011 Transportation Research Board (... Continue reading »