Serving UIC's Great Cities Commitment: Solutions for Today's Urban Challenges
Brandon Johnson’s election this past April as Chicago’s new mayor has been hailed across the country as an electrifying victory by progressive Democrats. But a detailed analysis of vote tallies and turnout conducted by Juan González and Matthew Wilson of the Great Cities Institute finds “a startling gap in voter turnout continues to persist along racial and ethnic lines” in Chicago.
The Freshwater Lab, in partnership with UIC’s Great Cities Institute, has a proposed solution: Supply industrial sites with treated wastewater, while reserving drinking water for the taps that really need it — those running into homes, health care facilities and other places that require potable water (Report titled, "From Waste to Water: A Framework for Sustainable Freshwater Supply in Northeastern Illinois"). This will help meet the area’s drinking water needs, will divert wastewater out of our rivers and will help support industrial economic growth in northern Illinois.
As Mayor Brandon Johnson looks to fill out his administration, two people with different backgrounds have emerged as candidates to lead the $203 million Department of Planning & Development.
Executive Summary: The present moment entails a new set of challenges to water management: A formidable challenge to water management is the growing imbalance between flooding and water scarcity. Because water recycling requires technical innovation and public health inquiry, as well as policy and urban planning considerations, we convened an interdisciplinary team to establish the research and development groundwork for water recycling.
Cook County wants to make biking, walking and using scooters safer and easier for those who live in parts of southern Cook County. Therefore, the Lake Calumet Bike Network Study will help bring improvements for those who use the aforementioned forms of “active transportation” in the area. Click Here to View Website for More Information and Upcoming Engagement Opportunities. Click Here to Take Survey.
Executive Summary: Mujeres Latinas en Acción (Mujeres) officially launched their first ever position paper, ¡Actívate! A community-data driven guide to help Latinas and their families thrive. Founded in 1973, Mujeres is the longest-standing Latina-led organization in the country. With its headquarters based in Pilsen in Chicago, Illinois, it has grown from a […]
The annual event brought together leaders from the city's top foundations with their counterparts at more than 20 Chicago Latino nonprofit arts organizations, collectively discussing developing new strategies and solutions to address the funding gap in Latino arts. Carlos Tortolero, President and CEO, National Museum of Mexican Art, shared statistics provided by Dr. Teresa Córdova, Director of the Great Cities Institute at the University of Illinois-Chicago.
Matthew Wilson, the associate director for economic and workforce development at UIC’s Great Cities Institute, discusses a new UIC study that reveals how crime goes up when youth unemployment spikes on WTTW News.
Executive Summary: This groundbreaking study, commissioned by Grand Victoria Foundation (GVF) and the Great Cities Institute (GCI), seeks to shed light on the challenges faced by Black communities across Illinois, with a specific focus on 81 “Black population centers” throughout the state where 30% or more of the residents identify […]
Executive Summary: This study identifies demographic and socio-economic changes in the Lower West Side and its subareas.