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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Puerto Rico Town Databook

Executive Summary: Through the concerted focus of the Puerto Rican Agenda, on August 27, 2021, Senate Bill 1833 was signed into law by Governor J.B. Pritzker. The bill, introduced by Senator Cristina Pacione-Zayas, not only made such a cultural district possible for Puerto Rican Town, but also for other 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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South Chicago Set To Get Raised Bike Lanes, Markers Honoring History To Make Streets ‘Vibrant And Accessible,’ Leaders Say

Great Cities is featured in another Block Club Chicago article! The project has its roots in a community revitalization plan led by Special Service Area No. 5 and the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Great Cities Institute, Ald. Susan Sadlowski Garza (10th) said. Neighbors identified a need for “a more pedestrian- and cyclist-friendly […]

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Chicago’s Decades of Segregation Feed South and West Side Hardships

Authors Shruti Singh and Isis Almeida discuss issues caused by historical segregation in their Bloomberg article. Great Cities Institute’s Matt Wilson is interviewed and highlights the economic inequalities in Chicago. Many of these same neighborhoods continue to face the highest levels of joblessness, poverty and inadequate housing, according to a study by […]

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