Article by Juan Sebastian Arias
In the 100 days since I joined Elevated Chicago as Executive Director, I’ve been energized by the excitement and momentum I’ve seen across Chicago in building walkable, vibrant communities near transit and in doing so with a laser focus on equity.
From Rogers Park to Logan Square to Bronzeville, real progress is being made to bring the vision of ETOD to life. Wild Onion Market, located within walking distance from Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) and Metra stations, is part of an impressive and growing ETOD project pipeline across Chicago. The cooperatively owned market is a recipient of the City’s first ETOD grant program, a one-time $10 million investment of public funding to support community-driven development projects near transit through grants and technical assistance.
Chicago has also taken historic steps to expand public transit access with the opening of the beautiful Damen Green Line CTA station on the Near West Side and advancing milestone investments and approvals to make the expansion of CTA rail service to the Far South Side of the city a reality.
We now have an opportunity (and really, a responsibility) to match these investments in public transit with both investments in and policy changes for pedestrian-friendly and mixed-used developments with walkable streets nearby. When the CTA Red Line train reaches new neighborhoods, we can and should ensure that walkable, vibrant hubs of economic activity and community wealth-building surround the new train stations.
I’m also excited by the recent efforts to proactively rezone a 4.25-mile stretch of north Western Avenueto be more supportive of ETOD, an innovative and necessary move to enable mixed-use and affordable development along one of the city’s highest-ridership bus corridors. As CTA and CDOT look towards bus priority infrastructure improvements along other major bus corridors, the Western Avenue rezoning is a model to learn from.
Of course, there’s plenty of work still ahead for us.
The need for stable, safe and reliant transit service is as clear as ever. We have opportunities to change the status quo and give Chicagoans more options for getting around the city by prioritizing walkability, bike-ability, and accessibility on City streets and transportation routes, especially DuSable Lake Shore Drive. The challenges facing the CTA and all regional transit also demand that we step up with bold and equitable solutions for improving transit’s fiscal stability while improving safety, reliability, and quality of service.
Beyond investment, we also need an ongoing commitment to transformative policy change. Mayor Brandon Johnson has set out a bold vision for streamlining development in Chicago through the Cut the Tape initiative. Elevated Chicago is excited by several of the policy goals in Cut the Tape, including a proposal to provide new development more flexibility in eliminating parking mandates. This is a common-sense reform already adopted by several cities across the country. Elevated Chicago will continue to champion policy change in support of equitable transit-oriented development, such as calling for an end to the ban on new construction of 3-flats near transit.
I’m grateful to have the opportunity to lead Elevated Chicago in our work with leaders from across sectors and across Chicago neighborhoods to bring our vision for equitable development near transit to life. Chicago has made great strides in advancing ETOD in the last several years through one-time investments and comprehensive land use reforms. We now have a responsibility to maintain that momentum with sustainable funding and investments, bold policy change, and a commitment to community-led equitable development.
How you can join the ETOD effort
There are a number of ways to get involved with Elevated Chicago!
To learn more about ETOD and hear about Chicago-area ETOD learning opportunities, sign up for our newsletter. To keep up to date on ETOD happenings and our “Can You Walk There” series, follow us on social media. To talk with us about funding our work or ask other ETOD questions, email us at info@elevatedchicago.org.
