GCI News

Keep up to date with the latest news coming out of GCI.

A novel plan to recycle Chicago’s wastewater could prevent a future water crisis

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.

Read the Full Article Here.

Read the Research Report Here.

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The Cook County Department of Transportation and Highways invites you to their Lake Calumet Bike Network Study website and survey

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.

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2nd Chicago Latino Arts & Culture Summit Connects Latino Arts Leaders With Top Foundations

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.

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Advisory Committee for Reconnecting Communities

Great Cities Institute participated in the advisory committee for Metropolitan Planning Council's Reconnecting Communities: Mitigating Community Harms of Transportation Infrastructure Report. The goal of the committee was to identify the historic impact that expressways have had on Chicago, and to begin conversations on how to reconnect fractured communities.

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A 10-year fight to raise the minimum wage has slashed the Black-White wealth gap in half in some states. The South still has a long way to go.

Associate Director, Matthew Wilson, assisted with a research report on the fight to raise minimum wage. Authors Juliana Kaplan and Madison Hoff  write about the report in their Business Insider article: “The biggest finding is the equity impact of the fight for 15 raises,” Yannet Lathrop, a senior researcher and policy analyst […]

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