Last week, I had a chance to introduce the Center for Neighborhood Technology to two new groups of potential friends and partners. First, we were visited by a group of Google product managers from across the nation. Many of CNT’s online interactive tools are based on Google Maps, and our conversation quickly focused on how we use these tools to identify and address urban issues. We had innumerable questions for each other: how can we partner to better calculate local transportation-related... Continue reading »

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Wilmette, February 21, 2019) Residents interested in making their yards eco-friendly can benefit from a new program being offered by the Village and qualify for a grant to pay for half the cost of the sustainable landscaping. The Village is pleased to announce the new program, RainReady Wilmette, which aims to reduce the amount of rain that enters the Village’s sewers, improve yard drainage at homes, and benefit the environment by using less resources like water and... Continue reading »

  Buffalo’s aging infrastructure poses a lead problem. But a one-stop-shop model could unite previously siloed agencies toward a solution. Like many old industrial cities in the Great Lakes region, Buffalo, New York—located on the shores of Lake Erie—has a lead poisoning problem. Children in Erie County, many living within the City of Buffalo’s limits, test positive for lead poisoning at rates much higher than New York State average. Given Buffalo’s old housing stock—the city has... Continue reading »

On January 23, 2019, the Chicago City Council passed an amendment to the Municipal Code governing transit-oriented developments (TODs). This amendment modifies transit-served locations to include projects in vicinity of more than 20 CTA-designated high-ridership and high-frequency bus routes along eight1 major corridors and corridor segments. With this amendment, the City administration will also have to create and publish an Equitable TOD (ETOD) Implementation Policy Plan over the next year... Continue reading »

I’m happy to welcome CNT’s newest staff person, Elizabeth Irvin, who starts work with us today as our Transportation Director. Elizabeth joins us from the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP), where she worked on evaluating the impacts of road and transit projects, identifying opportunities and risks of emerging transportation technologies, and advancing strategies to improve equity and sustainability in the region’s transportation system. She previously worked for Metro Boston’s... Continue reading »

On Tuesday, December 4, CNT opened our offices to partners and friends both old and new. We rearranged our space to display our current work – see diagram below – and spent three nonstop hours describing it.  Around 150 people came through (we weren’t keeping close count), talked to our staff and board about our priorities and projects, and connected with other friends. Most commonly overhead conversation snippets at the open house: I really like that AllTransit tool. (Thanks,... Continue reading »

This just in—a new tool addressing the promise and challenges in using Opportunity Zones (OZs) to drive development in underserved urban areas. The National Opportunity Zones Ranking Report was produced by LOCUS in conjunction with Smart Growth America and SPARCC – a national network rooted in Atlanta, the SF-Oakland Bay Area, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, and Memphis to accelerate equitable development without displacement, climate resilience and public health achievement.... Continue reading »

Climate change has been in the news: The U.S. National Climate Assessment found that every region of the country is affected by climate change already and those impacts are likely to grow—threatening health and property and costing our economy as much as hundreds of billions of dollars. The United Nations Climate Change Conference in Poland met to develop the rulebook countries will use to reduce emissions in the coming years. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report on... Continue reading »

Last night we saw over 100 friends, partners, and other supporters of urban sustainability at the CNT Reception. We’re excited to have been hosted by the Chicago Connectory, a great space created by Bosch and 1871 to help startups and thought leaders in the growing Internet of Things (IoT) field. I’d like to particularly thank Dennis Boecker, Bosch USA’s Global Lead for IT Innovation and co-founder of the Connectory, for hosting us and speaking to the guests; to SB Friedman as a lead sponsor... Continue reading »

I’m thrilled to announced that CNT has hired a new Managing Director for Urban Resilience. First, about the position: This is a new title that reflects our future direction as an organization. The Managing Director will oversee CNT’s water program – including RainReady, the Great Lakes Water Infrastructure project, and related efforts – and will tie our water work closely to other urban systems. To effectively address environmental justice and the threats caused by climate change, we need to... Continue reading »