The “Second City” has always been a place of change and renewal. Chicago, a city that was devastated by the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, has proved its resiliency time and time again by continuing to reinvent itself.  Chicago is home to 77 community areas including Bronzeville and La Villita (Little Village), Chinatown and Uptown, […]

At this point in time, it feels like it takes a lot of energy to just breathe. We might be—hopefully—stumbling out of an exhausting two-year pandemic, only to find the world in a tense situation. It’s a somber reminder that the fight for justice is not confined to the United States; it is a global […]

By Sasha Forbes There is a frustrating truth in the world of community development: new large-scale development, no matter how much it is designed to support the existing neighborhood, often displaces or alienates some longtime residents. Whether it’s a transit project, housing project or large-scale park project, the outcomes are typically the same. Assets in […]

A conversation with Chancee Martorell and Ella Mendonsa When I first met Chancee Martorell, we were standing outside of the hard hat area in East Hollywood that would one day be Thai Town Marketplace, discussing the 13 years of work that had led to this moment. It was through a tour with the Strong Prosperous […]

In honor of National Arts and Humanities Month, a “coast-to-coast collective recognition of the importance of culture in America,” we’re sharing insights gleaned from Liz Ogbu, a designer, urbanist, and social innovator who infuses arts and culture into sustainable design and spatial innovation in challenged urban environments. Ms. Ogbu joined the SPARCC sites at their […]