Report Release: Calumet River Communities Planning Framework
Executive Summary
A new planning framework developed by the Great Cities Institute offers strategies to address environmental and economic challenges facing communities along the Calumet River on Chicago’s Southeast Side.
The report presents a comprehensive framework to guide future planning and investment related to public health and the environment, social equity, and economic development. It also includes neighborhood demographic profiles, land use and zoning maps, and housing data to support informed decision-making.
The study area encompasses portions of the South Chicago, East Side, and South Deering community areas and is bounded by 83rd Street to the north, 106th Street to the south, Lake Michigan and the Indiana border to the east, and Yates Boulevard to the west.
To shape the framework, the UIC research team engaged community-based stakeholders through formal interviews, focus groups, and informal pop-up engagement events. This process generated extensive community feedback that helped define the report’s content, inform data collection, and establish priorities for future planning. Residents emphasized concerns related to public health and environmental conditions, equitable access to municipal resources compared to North Side neighborhoods, and economic development strategies that leverage the Calumet River’s location to create jobs and strengthen the local economy.
To address these priorities, the report outlines key considerations and recommendations across three focus areas:
Public Health and the Environment
Recommendations include prioritizing remediation of contaminated industrial sites; strengthening enforcement of pollution regulations; establishing a city-level Department of Environment; collaborating with the Chicago Department of Public Health to identify and mitigate health impacts; expanding access to public health resources; increasing environmental and health programming; and building the capacity of environmentally focused organizations.
Social Equity
The report calls for ensuring that remediation-related jobs and industrial site reuse benefit local residents and businesses; expanding housing options across income levels; improving public transit access; increasing access to fresh food; enhancing bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure; and strengthening the park system.
Economic Development
Strategies include applying green technologies to remediation and development, attracting environmentally conscious businesses to the Calumet Industrial Corridor, continuing to strengthen Commercial Avenue as the “Downtown of the Southeast Side,” expanding commercial planning to additional corridors, and capturing new markets and visitors.
Although the report focuses on three community areas, many findings and recommendations are relevant to neighboring communities such as Hegewisch, Riverdale, and Calumet Heights, for which demographic data are also provided. The report emphasizes the importance of collaboration among communities to support future planning efforts, including industrial corridor modernization and improvements to the Illinois International Port District.
Produced through the Great Cities Institute’s Great Cities, Great Rivers Initiative, the report builds on the Institute’s longstanding work in the Calumet Region. Authors include Teresa Córdova, Jackson Morsey, Jack Rocha, Tim Imeokparia, Thea Crum, Benjamin Corpuz, Elisabeth Rask, and Alexis Stein. The project was partially funded by The Chicago Community Trust’s Our Great Rivers grant program.