Save the Date: 30th Anniversary of the Great Cities Institute

 

On December 1, 2025, we will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Great Cities Institute (GCI), marking three decades of commitment to urban research, policy, and community engagement. This milestone offers an opportunity to reflect on the vision that led to the founding of GCI and to honor the ongoing work that continues to shape cities and communities.

In 1995, the Great Cities Institute was established as part of UIC’s Great Cities Initiative, a bold commitment to addressing urban challenges through research, collaboration, and public engagement. That same year, then-Governor Jim Edgar proclaimed December 1 as Great Cities Day in Illinois, recognizing the role of cities as centers of knowledge, creativity, and economic growth while also acknowledging the complex challenges they face, from housing and employment to education and public health. The resolution emphasized the need for comprehensive and integrated approaches to improving urban life—values that have remained at the core of GCI’s mission.

Over the past 30 years, GCI has been a driving force in advancing urban policy and fostering partnerships between academia, government, businesses, and community organizations. Through research, convenings, and direct engagement, GCI has worked to address critical issues in Chicago and beyond, reinforcing UIC’s role as a university that is deeply connected to its urban environment.

As we mark this important anniversary, we will reflect on the legacy of the Great Cities concept and look ahead to the future of urban innovation and community-centered research. We hope you will join us on December 1, 2025, to celebrate this momentous occasion and the impact of the Great Cities Institute over the past three decades.

More details about the event, including time, location, and speakers, will be announced soon. Stay tuned for updates!

 

Event Details:

Date: Monday, December 1st, 2025

Time: 8:30 AM to 5 PM

Location: UIC Student Center East (750 S. Halsted St)

 

Please click here to RSVP. To download flyer, please click here.

 

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Real Time Chicago Lecture Series – NHP Foundation: Reinventing Affordable Housing One Community At A Time

 

We’re excited to invite you to the fourth session of the Spring 2025 Real Time Chicago Lecture Series, featuring a powerful conversation with leaders from the NHP Foundation and its subsidiary, Operation Pathways:

     • Veronica Gonzalez, Assistant Vice President, NHP Foundation

     • Eva Thibaudeau-Graczyk, Director of Supportive Housing, Operation Pathways

     • Carmen Correa, Resident Services Coordinator, Operation Pathways

This session will explore how NHP Foundation—a national nonprofit real estate corporation—is driving change by acquiring, preserving, redeveloping, and constructing affordable housing across 16 states and the District of Columbia. With a portfolio of over 8,000 affordable housing units located throughout Connecticut, D.C., Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia, NHP is committed to ensuring housing remains accessible, stable, and service-enriched for families and individuals across the country.

At the heart of this mission is Operation Pathways, a CORES-certified resident services provider that brings an innovative, in-house approach to supportive services. Through four key program areas—Academic Achievement, Financial Stability, Healthier Living, and Aging in Place—Operation Pathways empowers residents to pursue personal goals while improving long-term quality of life. Their model emphasizes impactful, customized programming delivered by Resident Services Coordinators who assess and respond to the evolving needs of each community.

In this session, our speakers will share how their work is reinventing affordable housing one community at a time—not just as physical spaces, but as platforms for upward mobility, community wellness, and resident empowerment. They’ll offer insights on aligning housing development with social supports, building strong local partnerships, and applying data-informed strategies that center equity, dignity, and long-term sustainability.

Don’t miss this opportunity to hear how NHP and Operation Pathways are blending bricks, mortar, and mission to reshape the future of housing.

 

Event Details:

Date: Wednesday, April 30th, 2025

Time: 1 PM to 2 PM

Location: UIC Great Cities Institute (412 S Peoria St, Suite 400, Chicago, IL 60607)

 

Please click here to RSVP. To download flyer, please click here.

 

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One Hundred Years of Route 66

 

Students from the University of New Mexico (UNM) Community and Regional Planning Capstone Studio visited the Great Cities Institute at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) to host a discussion on the history, development, and community impacts of Historic Route 66—the U.S.’s first paved highway stretching from Chicago to Santa Monica, California. Led by Professor Moises Gonzales, the studio shared their examination of Route 66’s legacy and presented a vision plan outlining strategies for preservation, revitalization, and future development along this iconic corridor.

 

Full Recorded Event Video

  1. Studio Mission
    The UNM Community and Regional Planning Capstone Studio explored the past, present, and future of Route 66, preparing a vision plan for New Mexico communities ahead of the centennial. Their research balances Route 66’s celebration with its more complex and challenging histories.
  2. The Highway that Shaped America by Jared Weaver
    Jared provided an overview of Route 66’s formation, evolution, and impact, tracing its role from connecting rural America, to facilitating Dust Bowl migration, to symbolizing freedom and American car culture, and finally to its decline with the rise of the interstate system.
  3. Land Uses Along Route 66 by Patrick Akukene
    Patrick analyzed historic and contemporary land uses influenced by Route 66, using GIS mapping to show how businesses, military installations, agricultural lands, and public spaces developed along the highway corridor across different states.
  4. Landmarks, Film/TV, and Tunes by Navida Johnson
    Navida discussed the cultural landscape created by Route 66, highlighting historic landmarks, songs, films, and television that shaped the highway’s identity as a symbol of freedom, nostalgia, and American creativity across the states it crosses.
  5. Racialized Spaces on the Mother Road by Michelle Perez
    Michelle examined how Route 66’s promise of mobility was shaped by racialized spaces, explaining how segregation, sundown towns, redlining, and tools like the Green Book were critical for Black travelers navigating a landscape marked by exclusion.
  6. Route 66 & Indigenous Lands by Maggie Ramirez
    Maggie explored how Route 66 crossed through indigenous territories, disrupting traditional lands and economies, and discussed the role of indigenous labor, trading posts, and cultural tourism in the highway’s history, emphasizing indigenous perspectives today.
  7. Public Lands, New Deal Projects, and the Interstate System by Nathaniel Wurster
    Nathaniel showed how public lands and New Deal infrastructure projects boosted Route 66’s popularity, while later interstate construction displaced many communities and changed patterns of travel, commerce, and development along the historic route.
  8. Route 66’s Environmental Footprint by Chantell Bustillos
    Chantell discussed Route 66’s environmental legacy, including abandoned infrastructure, suburban sprawl, habitat fragmentation, and pollution, and called for a vision of revitalization that integrates environmental stewardship alongside cultural preservation.
  9. Q&A Session
    The session concluded with a rich discussion on preservation strategies, community organizing, historical designations, and how local communities can leverage Route 66’s legacy to support sustainable revitalization and resist displacement pressures today.

 

On our Instagram (@uicgreatcities), you will find highlights from “One Hundred Years of Route 66.” Please take a look and we welcome you to follow us!
instagrambutton.png Event Photos | Posters | Route 66 Discussion

 

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Opinion: America can’t afford to cut the manufacturing extension partnership

In a puzzling move that undermines its stated economic goals, President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has begun dismantling the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), a 36-year-old national network that helps small- and medium-sized manufacturers enhance productivity, adopt new technologies, train workers, and respond to economic disruptions.

With 51 centers — one in every state plus Puerto Rico — the MEP supports thousands of manufacturers annually. On April 1, DOGE abruptly withheld funding from 10 MEP centers, notifying them that no future support would be provided. This decision arrived just days after the administration announced sweeping tariffs purportedly designed to encourage American manufacturing. Eliminating MEP demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of the support manufacturers need to thrive, especially under increased tariff pressures.

Our research into the MEP network highlights its critical role in guiding manufacturers through major disruptions, most notably during the COVID-19 pandemic. MEP centers helped companies quickly modify production processes to protect workers, pivot operations to manufacture personal protective equipment (PPE), and identify new suppliers and markets amid severe supply chain disruptions. Given what we know about MEP’s tangible impact, the decision to eliminate funding is economically self-destructive and shortsighted. Far from being faceless bureaucracies, MEP centers are highly knowledgeable, technically skilled, and trusted advisors deeply embedded within their local manufacturing communities.

Specific examples from our research further illustrate how MEP centers effectively responded to the pandemic’s challenges. Every center stepped up, with some adopting similar strategies. Across the nation, 41 states launched supplier matching platforms to connect manufacturers with critical resources, with some of these also assisting firms in adopting robotics and automation technologies to remain globally competitive despite unprecedented disruptions. Centers in 29 states also provided hands-on assistance to manufacturers retooling their production lines for PPE and other essential goods. These and many other efforts underscore MEP’s indispensable role in supporting the agility and resilience of American manufacturing in times of crisis.

The value of MEP extends far beyond crisis response; its ongoing impact on American manufacturing competitiveness and economic growth is significant and measurable. According to the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, in 2024 alone, the MEP network invested $175 million in domestic manufacturing. It generated a remarkable 17:1 return on investment, adding $34.1 billion to U.S. GDP. Additionally, MEP-assisted manufacturers reported $15 billion in new and retained sales, $5 billion in new client investments, $2.6 billion in cost savings, and over 108,000 jobs created or retained. Given this extraordinary return, the administration’s decision to cut MEP funding raises serious questions: Is minor short-term budget savings worth losing billions in economic growth and tens of thousands of jobs?

The timing of these funding cuts is especially baffling. Earlier this month, President Trump imposed a blanket 10 percent tariff on virtually all imports to spur reshoring and correct what he calls “a lack of reciprocity” in trade. The White House briefly added “reciprocal” surcharges of 11-50% on 57 trading partners on April 9 but suspended them for 90 days just hours later after markets plunged — leaving the 10 percent duty intact. China, however, was exempt from the pause and its rate jumped to 125 percent on April 9. China has already retaliated with 125 percent counter‑tariffs on U.S. autos and agricultural goods, and the Yale Budget Lab estimates the average effective U.S. tariff rate is at 28 percent, the highest since 1901. Yet simultaneously, the administration is dismantling an efficient, proven institution specifically designed to help U.S. manufacturers successfully navigate such disruptive economic policies.

Small and medium-sized manufacturers form the backbone of American industry and benefit most directly from the expertise MEP provides. In the face of tariffs and other economic disruptions, these firms need help navigating supply chain disruptions, sourcing domestic alternatives to costly imports, and enhancing productivity to remain competitive — all core services delivered effectively by MEP centers.

Moreover, our research highlights that MEP centers also address a chronic challenge facing manufacturers nationwide: building and retaining a skilled workforce. MEP doesn’t just improve technological efficiency; it helps firms invest in people. Leading MEP centers have innovated workplace strategies that enhance frontline job quality, boosting both employee retention and overall competitiveness. Their advisors — trusted experts embedded within communities — are uniquely positioned to help companies tackle workforce training, retention, and workplace culture improvements. Such support is critical when manufacturers struggle to fill approximately 500,000 open positions, a challenge that may grow as reshoring initiatives accelerate.

U.S. manufacturing shapes more than products — it shapes communities, livelihoods, and the small businesses that keep our economy running. Manufacturing rebalances an economy over-reliant on low-wage service and retail jobs, and acts as a source of pride and identity for the places where it takes root. They need coordinated, long-term investment, and MEP centers have been a bipartisan cornerstone of that support.

But the deeper issue isn’t just the hypocrisy of the cuts — it’s also the damage they inflict on communities already struggling in a fragile economy. If we want jobs and factories “to come roaring back,” we must support the ones already here. They are the foundation of our manufacturing base. Without them, hollowed-out supply chains, an aging workforce, and crumbling infrastructure will make reshoring not just implausible but impossible. If the goal is to create “stronger competition and lower prices for consumers,” the MEP centers are irreplaceable. Eliminating this support is a blow to the entire ecosystem — businesses, their workers, and the communities and local economies they hold together.

Written by Matthew D. Wilson, Ph.D., University of Illinois at Chicago; Nichola J. Lowe, Ph.D., University of Minnesota; Nepal Asatthawasi, Urban Manufacturing Alliance.

 

From Crain’s Chicago Business (To go to the actual article, please click on this link.)

 

Illinois jobs grew in early 2025, but concerns remain

This news article from Crain’s Chicago Business highlights Illinois’ modest job growth in the first quarter of 2025, even as concerns mount over long-term economic stability. Nonfarm employment rose by 0.5% year-over-year, with total jobs in March reaching 6,172,300—up 14,800 from February and 34,200 from March 2024. The government sector, along with private education and health services and leisure and hospitality, saw the largest employment gains. Yet, these gains were offset by significant losses in professional and business services (down 15,000 jobs) and manufacturing (down 5,800), raising red flags about the overall health of the labor market.

Matthew Wilson, associate director of the University of Illinois Chicago’s Great Cities Institute, contributed key insights to the article, emphasizing that the current growth in government and hospitality jobs may not be sustainable. Federal employment cuts and a dip in tourism threaten these sectors’ future viability. Wilson also pointed to troubling trends in the professional and business services sector, where high-paying roles are being lost due to automation and post-pandemic economic recalibrations. He expressed particular concern about the decline in manufacturing jobs, which disproportionately impacts urban working-class Black and Latino populations. While Illinois is investing in advanced industries like quantum computing and data centers, Wilson noted that these jobs require higher levels of education, further widening what he described as the “missing middle” in the state’s job market. He underscored the broader pattern of a bifurcated economy in both Illinois and Chicago—where high-wage, specialized jobs coexist alongside a growing number of low-wage positions with limited benefits.

 

 

From Crain’s Chicago Business (To go to the actual article, please click on this link.)

 

Real Time Chicago Lecture Series – Digs with Dignity: Breaking the Cycle of Homelessness One Family at a Time

 

The Real Time Chicago Lecture Series continues its focus on Reimagining Housing Support and Access: Bridging Research, Action, and Community-Centered Process with an inspiring session featuring Kim Hannay, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Digs with Dignity.

In this session, “Digs with Dignity: Breaking the Cycle of Homelessness One Family at a Time,” Kim will share how her organization is transforming lives by helping families transition out of homelessness with dignity and stability. Through custom home furnishing using sustainable design solutions, Digs with Dignity creates welcoming, functional spaces that empower families to build a fresh start.

 

Event Details:

Date: Wednesday, April 9th, 2025

Time: 1 PM to 2 PM

Location: UIC Great Cities Institute Conference Room (412 S Peoria St, Suite 400, Chicago, IL 60607)

 

Please click here to RSVP. To download flyer, please click here.

 

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2025 UIC Urban Forum – The Power of Community Engagement: Building Bridges for Shared Impact

 

The 2025 UIC Urban Forum, titled “The Power of Community Engagement: Building Bridges for Shared Impact,” will take place on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, from Noon to 4:30 p.m. at UIC Student Center East (Illinois Room), 750 S. Halsted St., Chicago, IL. This event will bring together leaders from community organizations, academia, business, and government to explore how anchor institutions can evolve beyond traditional outreach and actively participate in fostering reciprocal partnerships for sustainable community impact.

The forum will address key questions, such as:

• What defines successful community engagement?

• How can anchor institutions maximize their resources and expertise to address urban challenges?

• How can institutions redefine their role as active participants in societal well-being?

Speakers will include Toni Preckwinkle, President of the Cook County Board, and Marie Lynn Miranda, Chancellor of the University of Illinois Chicago, who serve as co-chairs for the event.

The UIC Urban Forum, in collaboration with the UIC College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs (CUPPA)—which has over 30 years of experience in community engagement—will showcase best practices, explore engagement models, and inspire impactful partnerships.

• Click here for schedule and here for speakers

• Click here for online registration/RSVP

• More details: urbanforum.uic.edu | Call 312-413-8088 | Email uicurban@uic.edu

• Follow on social media (Facebook/Twitter): @UIC_UrbanForum

Attendees are encouraged to mark their calendars and participate in discussions that will shape the future of community engagement and collaboration between institutions and local communities.

 

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Social Enterprise 2025

 

Don’t miss Social Enterprise 2025! The University of Illinois Chicago, Social Enterprise Chicago, and the Cook County Commission on Social Innovation invite you to attend Social Enterprise 2025. Join us for breakfast and a morning of insightful discussions, networking, and learning from industry experts. Explore next step strategies for maximizing impact, sustainability, and discover innovative ways to strengthen your mission-driven initiatives. Network with like-minded changemakers and strategies for sustainable impact.

Welcome, Remarks & Key Note Addresses

     • Teresa Cordova, Director Great Cities Institute, Professor of Urban Planning and Policy, UIC

     • Commissioner Alma E. Anaya, Chair Cook County Commission on Social Innovation

     • Representative Jesús “Chuy” García, 4th Congressional District of IL

     • Marc J. Lane, Pres. The Law Office of Marc J. Lane PC & Social Enterprise Chicago, Vice Chair, Cook County Commission on Social Innovation

     • Walter Mendenhall IV, Ex. Dr. Male Mogul Institute

Session I: Strategies for Social Enterprises & Innovation

     • Harry Alston Jr., SVP, The Safer Policy Institute, Commissioner, Cook County Commission on Social Innovation

     • Rodger Cooley, Ex. Dr., Chicago Food Policy Action Council, Commissioner, Cook County Commission on Social Innovation

Session II: Discover Opportunities with Cook County

     • Xochitl Flores, Bureau Chief, Bureau of Economic Development, Cook County Government

     • Jessica Caffrey, Executive Director, Cook County Land Bank Authority,

     • Raffi Sarrafian, Chief Procurement Officer, Cook County Department of Procurement

Session III: Explore Legal Structures of Social Enterprises: L3C and B Corporations

     • Marc J Lane, President, Jeremy Kritt, Atty., The Law Offices of Marc J. Lane PC

 

Come network with like-minded individuals and expand your knowledge in various fields. Don’t miss out on this exciting opportunity to be a part of Social Enterprise 2025!

 

 

Click Here for Full Event Details and RSVP

Locations: UIC Student Center East

Date and Time: April 4th, 2025; 8 AM to 12 PM CDT

Website: www.socentchi.com

 

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Gordon Parks and the Postwar City Conference

 

Join us for Gordon Parks and the Postwar City, a three-day interdisciplinary conference taking place April 2–4, 2025, at the UIC Great Cities Institute and Daley Library. This event explores the groundbreaking work and lasting impact of Gordon Parks—one of the most influential Black photographers, filmmakers, and storytellers of the 20th century.

Parks’s career spanned decades and mediums, capturing the radical transformations of post-World War II America. Through his iconic photographic essays, films, and activism, he documented urban life, civil rights, poverty, Black identity, and the rise of Black Power, offering an unflinching look at American society through the lens of social justice. The conference will highlight Parks’s deep connections to Chicago, where he launched his career at the Southside Community Art Center and developed his philosophy of the “camera as a weapon” against inequality.

This conference brings together students, scholars, artists, activists, and filmmakers to examine Parks’s legacy across disciplines and its relevance to contemporary struggles for racial and social justice. Featuring panel discussions, film screenings, and community dialogue, the event is free and open to the public.

 

Click Here for Full Program Details or Look Below

Design Courtesy of Black Studies at UIC

Click Here to RSVP

Locations: UIC Great Cities Institute & UIC Daley Library

Dates: April 2nd, 2025 to April 4th, 2025

Contact: Cedric Johnson at gordonparks@uic.edu

 

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US-Canada Great Lakes cooperation may be ending soon.

The historic partnership between the U.S. and Canada in managing the Great Lakes is facing increasing uncertainty due to rising diplomatic tensions under the Trump administration. Recently, the White House abruptly disinvited two Canadian mayors from the annual Great Lakes Day summit in Washington, D.C., citing “diplomatic protocols.” This exclusion, occurring amidst ongoing trade disputes, has raised concerns that the U.S. may be shifting away from the long-standing tradition of binational cooperation in overseeing the world’s largest freshwater system.

For over a century, both countries have relied on agreements such as the Boundary Waters Treaty (1909), the Great Lakes Fishery Commission (1955), and the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (1972) to collaboratively manage pollution, invasive species, and water resource use. However, President Trump has reportedly expressed interest in revisiting shared water management, fueling fears that the lakes could be treated as a commodity rather than a protected ecological system. Compounding these concerns, federal budget cuts and staffing reductions at NOAA’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory have disrupted scientific collaboration, delaying efforts to address harmful algal blooms and invasive species. Experts warn that without continued U.S.-Canada coordination, the effectiveness of conservation efforts will be significantly weakened.

Dr. Rachel Havrelock, a faculty fellow at the Great Cities Institute and director of the Freshwater Lab at the University of Illinois Chicago, has voiced serious concerns over these developments. She warns that the weakening of this partnership threatens one of the most stable and successful environmental governance models in the world. She stresses that the Great Lakes must be managed as a shared ecological system, rather than as a resource for political or economic leverage. With the lakes providing drinking water for over 30 million people, Havrelock emphasizes that binational cooperation is essential for long-term sustainability and environmental protection. Her concerns reflect broader fears that recent political shifts could undo decades of progress in preserving and protecting the Great Lakes.

 

 

From Yahoo! News, in collaboration with Grist, Interlochen Public Radio in Northern Michigan, and WBEZ (To go to the actual article, please click on this link.)