The Great Cities Institute (GCI) is pleased to announce that it has embarked on a project with the Pilsen Planning Committee (PPC) to create a new Quality-of-Life plan. This nine-month participatory planning process will include key neighborhood stakeholders such as community organizations, service providers, elected officials, property owners and residents. This project is a part of GCI’s Neighborhoods Initiative, which reflects the Institute’s commitment to improve the quality-of-life in communities in Chicago.
Since the 1970’s, Pilsen has been identified as a Latino community and residents have consistently been engaged in strengthening and building upon that identity. Pilsen has many assets including its history and strong community identity, close location to Chicago’s downtown business district, proximity to public transportation, affordable housing, and a previous Quality-of-Life plan. The new plan will build upon the strengths and successes of the previous plan, completed in 2006, including the governance structures developed to coordinate the plan’s implementation.
As part of the new planning process, GCI will evaluate the 2006 plan and work with both data and the community to assess the current conditions in Pilsen. The PPC and community stakeholders will work closely with GCI to drive the final framework of the plan including the identification of key issues and strategies, such as education, housing, and jobs. Once completed, GCI will also develop an evaluation for the plan to empower the community to track their successes throughout implementation. This new quality-of-life plan will continue to build upon the strengths of the community while also developing strategies and sub-strategies to ensure future development and community programs to preserve Pilsen’s robust cultural institutions and family-friendly environment.
