Great Cities Institute

It is fast approaching!

Since the Launch of Latino Research Initiative on September 12, 2023, we now have the Latino Research Initiative Summit 2024 coming up this Fall, on September 17, 2024, from 8 AM to 2 PM Central Time, at UIC Student Center East (750 S. Halsted).

More information about this event will be coming soon on https://greatcities.uic.edu/event/save-the-date-latino-research-initiative-summit-2024/

To RSVP: https://forms.gle/j8EukgczCn8iRZ9h9

To check out the Latino Research Initiative website, please visit:
greatcities.uic.edu/research/latino-research-initiative

Please tune in for the environmental documentary, The Hills, which will air on Chicago's PBS station WTTW (channel 11) on Sun, Aug 11 at 4:00 pm and Fri, Aug 16 at 3:00 am. The Hills will also be available to stream on WTTW's website after August 11: https://schedule.wttw.com/episodes/700854/The-Hills-(Wttw)

Directed by local documentary filmmaker Ines Sommer, The Hills takes viewers to Chicago’s Southeast Side, where the steel mills once operated. Starting out at the Schroud Site, an abandoned toxic slag hill that has been harming people, wildlife, and waterways for decades, The Hills highlights the powerful return of nature in a toxic environment and connects legacy pollution to current environmental struggles, including the fight against General Iron and the proposed expansion of the Army Corps of Engineers' Confined Disposal Facility (CDF) next to Calumet Beach.
Southeast Environmental Task Force
Neighbor-Space
Active Transportation Alliance
Calumet Collaborative
WTTW-TV (Chicago)

The Hills | | WTTW Set on Chicago's Southeasts Side, The Hills highlights the powerful return of nature amidst the toxic legacy of the steel industry and current environmental struggles.

Reminder for Tomorrow's Event:

The Great Cities Institute at the University of Illinois Chicago will host a film screening of “Come and Speak to Me of What You Felt” (2021), “Guardian Angel” (2022), and “Trading Memories Part I” (2022) by 2023 Villa Albertine Resident Olukemi Lijadu. This event, which is open to the public, will be held on Tuesday, August 6th, 2024 from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM CDT at the Great Cities Institute (412 South Peoria Street, Suite 400, Chicago, Illinois 60607-7067).

For Event Page: https://greatcities.uic.edu/event/memory-music-movingimage/
To RSVP: https://forms.gle/56XQn6oRPuAijBYNA

About the Films:

1) The work, Come and Speak to Me of What You Felt (2021), the artist weaves together fragmented threads of Black music. Come and Speak to Me of What You Felt is an exploration of the search for one’s history and how music can communicate feelings beyond words across time and distance.

2) A multi-screen projection and multi-sensory live performance, Guardian Angel (2022) is a commissioned film that explores the artist’s relationship with religion, informed by her grandmother, study of African philosophy and Catholic upbringing.

3) Trading Memories Part I (2022)is a moving image work and soundscape that incorporates film, sound, and photography, based on a collection of photos of a middle-class family in Lagos. These photographs were discovered in 2021 at an antique market in London’s Notting Hill, where they were sold among piles of otherwise discarded goods for just two pounds. The striking nature of these images, functioning as a time capsule far from their original context, immediately conveyed to the artist that they depicted a Nigerian Yoruba family from the early 2000s. The core inquiry of this series centers around the concept of ‘just knowing.’ In Trading Memories Part I, the artist explores the photographs not merely as artifacts of memory and family history, but as sites of encounter between themselves and the images. The work dissects moments of recognition, focusing on the artist’s personal reflections and connections with the photographs. A recurring theme in Trading Memories Part I is the close-up, which emphasizes these moments of recognition. Elements such as the harmattan dust on polished black buckled shoes, the texture of a birthday girl’s tulle dress, crates of soft drinks in glass bottles, white socks, and a Barbie birthday cake are motifs that resonate with the artist’s own childhood experiences in Lagos.

About the Filmmaker:

Olukemi Lijadu is a visual artist, DJ and music producer who performs under the moniker KEM KEM. Lijadu engages with sound as a transcendent conduit of memory and reconnection for the fractured African diaspora and work as a form of accessing Atlantic memory. A trained philosopher; she holds a masters degree in Philosophy from Stanford University. She lives and works between London and Lagos. Over the years, her work and performances have been held at ICA London, Frieze Cork Street and Mariane Ibrahim Chicago. Her original compositions have been played on the runways of Copenhagen fashion week and are woven into her films. As a DJ, KEM KEM has performed in and for the Luma Museum, Tiwani Gallery and Corvi-Mora. She was selected as a 2023 Villa Albertine resident where she is currently researching and developing a body of work around the West African influence on Chicago House music.

RSVP for Memory, Music & the Moving Image - The Work of Olukemi Lijadu The Great Cities Institute at the University of Illinois Chicago will host a film screening of "Come and Speak to Me of What You Felt" (2021), "Guardian Angel" (2022), and "Trading Memories Part I" (2022) by 2023 Villa Albertine Resident Olukemi Lijadu. This event, which is open to the public, will....

The Great Cities Institute at the University of Illinois Chicago will host a film screening of “Come and Speak to Me of What You Felt” (2021), “Guardian Angel” (2022), and “Trading Memories Part I” (2022) by 2023 Villa Albertine Resident Olukemi Lijadu. This event, which is open to the public, will be held on Tuesday, August 6th, 2024 from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM CDT at the Great Cities Institute (412 South Peoria Street, Suite 400, Chicago, Illinois 60607-7067).

For Event Page: https://greatcities.uic.edu/event/memory-music-movingimage/

To RSVP: https://forms.gle/56XQn6oRPuAijBYNA

About the Films:

1) The work, Come and Speak to Me of What You Felt (2021), the artist weaves together fragmented threads of Black music. Come and Speak to Me of What You Felt is an exploration of the search for one’s history and how music can communicate feelings beyond words across time and distance.

2) A multi-screen projection and multi-sensory live performance, Guardian Angel (2022) is a commissioned film that explores the artist’s relationship with religion, informed by her grandmother, study of African philosophy and Catholic upbringing.

3) Trading Memories Part I (2022)is a moving image work and soundscape that incorporates film, sound, and photography, based on a collection of photos of a middle-class family in Lagos. These photographs were discovered in 2021 at an antique market in London’s Notting Hill, where they were sold among piles of otherwise discarded goods for just two pounds. The striking nature of these images, functioning as a time capsule far from their original context, immediately conveyed to the artist that they depicted a Nigerian Yoruba family from the early 2000s. The core inquiry of this series centers around the concept of ‘just knowing.’ In Trading Memories Part I, the artist explores the photographs not merely as artifacts of memory and family history, but as sites of encounter between themselves and the images. The work dissects moments of recognition, focusing on the artist’s personal reflections and connections with the photographs. A recurring theme in Trading Memories Part I is the close-up, which emphasizes these moments of recognition. Elements such as the harmattan dust on polished black buckled shoes, the texture of a birthday girl’s tulle dress, crates of soft drinks in glass bottles, white socks, and a Barbie birthday cake are motifs that resonate with the artist’s own childhood experiences in Lagos.

About the Filmmaker:

Olukemi Lijadu is a visual artist, DJ and music producer who performs under the moniker KEM KEM. Lijadu engages with sound as a transcendent conduit of memory and reconnection for the fractured African diaspora and work as a form of accessing Atlantic memory. A trained philosopher; she holds a masters degree in Philosophy from Stanford University. She lives and works between London and Lagos. Over the years, her work and performances have been held at ICA London, Frieze Cork Street and Mariane Ibrahim Chicago. Her original compositions have been played on the runways of Copenhagen fashion week and are woven into her films. As a DJ, KEM KEM has performed in and for the Luma Museum, Tiwani Gallery and Corvi-Mora. She was selected as a 2023 Villa Albertine resident where she is currently researching and developing a body of work around the West African influence on Chicago House music.

We are happy to release the video and photos from an event that we hosted earlier this year on Mother Earth Meets the Anthropocene: An Ecofeminist/Environmental Justice Assessment. Jane Caputi, Professor of Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies at Florida Atlantic University, joined us on February 20, 2024. After Professor Caputi’s talk, she and Great Cities Director, Teresa Córdova, engaged in conversation. In this video, you will be able to see both Jane’s presentation and the conversation afterwards.

Link for Accessing Media: https://greatcities.uic.edu/event/mother-earth-meets-the-anthropocene-the-age-of-man-an-ecofeminist-environmental-justice-assessment-talk-event/

On Youtube: https://youtu.be/_g1_skOm2U8

“The Anthropocene,” or “Age of Man,” is a proposed name for the current geological age, one, its proponents claim to be a new era where “humans” have become a vast force capable of overwhelming the vast forces of “Nature.” This illustrated talk considered the sexed, gendered, racialized and otherwise political concept of “The Anthropocene” in dialogue with concept with the ancient reality of “Mother Nature” or Mother Earth, common to indigenous ecological knowledge as well as contemporary ecofeminist and environmental justice perspectives.

Jane Caputi has written four books, most recently Call Your “Mutha”: A Deliberately Dirty-Minded Manifesto for the Earth Mother in the Anthropocene (Oxford University Press, 2020). She also has made two educational documentaries, The Po*******hy of Everyday Life (2006) distributed by Berkeley Media and Feed the Green: Feminist Voices for the Earth (2016), distributed by Women Make Movies. Dr. Caputi, in 2016, was named Eminent Scholar of the Year by the American Culture/Popular Culture Association and in 2020 the Association for the Study of Women in Mythology gave her their annual “Saga Award” for contributions to women’s history and culture.

Several co-sponsors joined us to host Jane: UIC’s Institute for the Humanities, The Anthropocene Lab, The Institute for Research on Race and Public Policy, and Gender and Women’s Studies.

Mother Earth Meets the Anthropocene: An Ecofeminist/Environmental Justice Assessment Talk Event

This article from CBS News Chicago discusses the challenges facing Chicago’s summer youth jobs program, which aims to provide employment opportunities for young people. Despite its goals, the program has struggled to meet expectations in terms of job placement and impact on reducing youth unemployment and violence. The Great Cities Institute (GCI) at the University of Illinois Chicago is involved by conducting research and evaluations on the program’s effectiveness.

Is a summer youth jobs program in Chicago falling short of expectations? One Summer Chicago is a pillar of Mayor Johnson's public safety plan. How is it working so far?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kl9qZ_Jnz0I

Latino Environmental Justice Leadership Along Industrial Waterways Event Trailer

The Great Cities Institute at the University of Illinois Chicago, in collaboration with Villa Albertine, will host a screening of “Listen to the Walls Fall” (Écoute les murs tomber) and “No Man Is Born to Be Stepped On” (Aucun homme n’est né pour être piétiné) by 2024 Villa Albertine Resident Lucas Roxo. This event, marking the final day of Roxo’s residency in Chicago, will be followed by an engaging discussion with the film director himself. This event, which is open to the public, will be held on Monday, July 15th, 2024 from 12 PM to 2 PM CDT at the Great Cities Institute (412 South Peoria Street, Suite 400, Chicago, Illinois 60607-7067).

Link to RSVP: https://forms.gle/KhXoUr5EMyUUxRrcA
Link to Event Page: greatcities.uic.edu/event/movie-screening-lucas-roxo

About the Films:

1) “Listen to the Walls Fall” (Écoute les murs tomber) is a feature-length documentary, structured as a diptych taking place at both ends of France: Marseille and Calais. It tells the story of how human beings, driven by the desire to come and go, to live and to free themselves from prohibitions and dead-ends, circumvent, alone or in groups, what encloses them, prevents them, constrains them. Two journeys shaped by the perspectives of the people who inhabit each place.

2) “No Man Was Born to Be Stepped On” (Aucun homme n’est né pour être piétiné) tells the story of a social bandit in northern Brazil and examines how his legacy resonates with anti-Bolsonaro activists today.

About the Filmmaker:

Lucas Roxo is a documentary filmmaker and a media educator. Convinced that information should not be produced only by professionals, his work consisted in settling in popular neighborhoods to participate in the creation of community media. In parallel, he pursued a career as a documentary filmmaker. He was the author of the short documentary I feel your absence, about his family’s exile from Portugal to France, and just finished his second short film, No man was born to be stepped on, which tells the story of a social bandit in northern Brazil and how its memory echoes with anti-Bolsonaro activists today.

We would like to thank everyone who was able to join us this past Thursday for the community design meeting.

For those who were not able to join us, we wanted to share another opportunity for you to provide design feedback. The goal of collecting this design feedback is to create a design plan to share with site owners and potential site funders. Once the design team has refined all the feedback into one design, the project team will take the final design to property owners with the goal of opening the site with greater frequency.

To share your feedback about the potential designs, thoughts about what you would like to see happening in this community, and/or to let us know if you would like to be more involved/stay informed of the project, please visit our Google Form:
bit.ly/100thStreetInvolvement-Feedback

Thank you for your participation and patience. We acknowledge that this is a long process, but we have had many successes, including four community site activations working with People’s Gas so far.

Also, for more information (and downloadable report) on the project, please visit our website:
https://greatcities.uic.edu/100th-street/

We also provide updates on the project via our social media.
Please follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Thank you again.
Calumet Collaborative
Southeast Youth Alliance
Southeast Environmental Task Force
Active Transportation Alliance
Neighbor-Space
SWA Group
Port Urbanism

100th Street Calumet River Community Design Meeting

The Blue Marble design team will be back to work with us to create a 100th Street Calumet River community design plan. They will be looking for community input. Please join us for the upcoming design meeting. Event information are as follows:

Date: Thursday, June 13, 2024

Time: 6:30 to 7:30 PM

Location: Calumet Park Fieldhouse (9801 South Avenue G)

https://greatcities.uic.edu/event/100th-street-calumet-river-community-design-meeting/

Schroud:
Science Fair & Walking Tour

Coming up this weekend!
Saturday, June 8 2024
William Powers State Park at 12949 S Avenue O, Chicago, IL 60633
Drop-In Time: 12 PM to 3 PM

The Schroud site, situated southwest of 126th Street and Avenue O, previously served as a repository for slag material from the former Republic/LTV Steel operations. In 2019, the EPA added it to the National Priorities List (NPL) for hazardous waste sites, making it eligible for cleanup and federal funding under the Superfund law.

The primary goals of this event are to 1) inform the community and the greater public about a project that can bring revitalization to the Calumet Region through redevelopment that addresses the harms of the past and injustices that its residents have been subjected to as a result of historically corrupt and racist zoning and land use practices as well as to 2) engage the community in the Superfund cleanup process.

We would love to see you at this event!
Friends of the Chicago River
Calumet Collaborative
Active Transportation Alliance
Southeast Youth Alliance
Neighbor-Space
Metropolitan Planning Council
Southeast Environmental Task Force

Here are some photos and videos from May 2024 site visit to 100th Street Calumet River Access.

Photo Credit: Great Cities Institute
Photo Location: Future River Edge Park
Photo Date: May 2, 2024

In addition, we would like to remind once again for your input on Calumet Connect Community Survey (Encuesta Comunitaria de Calumet Connect). Your feedback is much appreciated! Let us re-envision Calumet River together.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdd9xR2isUkwYgMwrEyDHJzrGMP78efsbSkEQoyP4hrILbU4Q/viewform

Survey information:
The Southeast Environmental Task Force and its partners are leading efforts to reimagine the Calumet River to truly support and benefit our local communities. Along with this reimagining, we aim to support businesses and government as they do their part to realize community vision. As someone who lives, works, or is otherwise deeply connected to the community, we want your ideas included! We intend to share this information with government agencies and decision makers as well as businesses, so that we can continue to advance community vision. Thank you for taking time to complete this survey!

Información de la encuesta:
El Grupo de Trabajo Ambiental del Sudeste y sus socios están liderando esfuerzos para reinventar el río Calumet para apoyar y beneficiar verdaderamente a nuestras comunidades locales. Junto con esta reinvención, nuestro objetivo es apoyar a las empresas y al gobierno en su contribución para hacer realidad la visión comunitaria. Como alguien que vive, trabaja o está profundamente conectado con la comunidad, ¡queremos que se incluyan sus ideas! Tenemos la intención de compartir esta información con agencias gubernamentales y tomadores de decisiones, así como con empresas, para que podamos continuar avanzando en la visión comunitaria. ¡Gracias por tomarse el tiempo para completar esta encuesta!
Southeast Environmental Task Force
Southeast Youth Alliance
Friends of the Chicago River
Calumet Collaborative
Active Transportation Alliance
Neighbor-Space
Alliance for the Great Lakes

Great Cities Institute has produced a new research brief report titled, "The Benefits of Health Coverage for Immigrants in Illinois."

By Matthew D. Wilson, Ph.D.
Samantha Sepulveda

To summarize,

The benefits of providing health coverage extend not only to the individual, but also to their family, community, and society at large. Illinois was once a leading state in providing health coverage to low- income immigrants, notably becoming the first state to expand coverage to undocumented children in 2006. Continuing its efforts, in 2020, Illinois became the first state to provide Medicaid-like coverage to low-income seniors aged 65 and older, regardless of their immigration status, through its Health Benefits for Immigrant Seniors (HBIS) program. Building upon this pioneering program, Illinois expanded health coverage for low-income immigrant adults aged 55-64 in 2021, and subsequently extended it to those aged 42-54 in 2022, under its Health Benefits for Immigrant Adults (HBIA) program. Now, Illinois’ commitment to ensuring all of its residents have health coverage has been surpassed, most recently by California.

Moreover, HBIA and HBIS use the same federal poverty income eligibility limits as federal Medicaid, providing health coverage to Illinois residents who would otherwise qualify for Medicaid but are ineligible due to their immigration status. In that sense, HBIA and HBIS establish parity with federal Medicaid for a population that otherwise would be excluded. This research brief will provide context and highlight the value added to Illinois by extending targeted medical coverage to low-income undocumented adults through the HBIA and HBIS programs.

To read more and download the report, please visit:
https://greatcities.uic.edu/2024/05/06/research-brief-the-benefits-of-health-coverage-for-immigrants-in-illinois/

[Save the Date]

Since the Launch of Latino Research Initiative on September 12, 2023, we now have the Latino Research Initiative Summit 2024 coming up this Fall, on September 17, 2024!

More information about this event will be coming soon on https://greatcities.uic.edu/event/save-the-date-latino-research-initiative-summit-2024/

To RSVP: https://forms.gle/j8EukgczCn8iRZ9h9

Reminder for Your Input on Calumet Connect Community Survey (Encuesta Comunitaria de Calumet Connect)

Link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdd9xR2isUkwYgMwrEyDHJzrGMP78efsbSkEQoyP4hrILbU4Q/viewform

Photo Credit: Great Cities Institute
Photo Location: Calumet River by E 122nd St and S Torrence Ave
Photo Date: 2017.09.29

"Reimagining Calumet River:
For the Community | By the Community"

The Southeast Environmental Task Force and its partners are leading efforts to reimagine the Calumet River to truly support and benefit our local communities. Along with this reimagining, we aim to support businesses and government as they do their part to realize community vision. As someone who lives, works, or is otherwise deeply connected to the community, we want your ideas included! We intend to share this information with government agencies and decision makers as well as businesses, so that we can continue to advance community vision. Thank you for taking time to complete this survey!

El Grupo de Trabajo Ambiental del Sudeste y sus socios están liderando esfuerzos para reinventar el río Calumet para apoyar y beneficiar verdaderamente a nuestras comunidades locales. Junto con esta reinvención, nuestro objetivo es apoyar a las empresas y al gobierno en su contribución para hacer realidad la visión comunitaria. Como alguien que vive, trabaja o está profundamente conectado con la comunidad, ¡queremos que se incluyan sus ideas! Tenemos la intención de compartir esta información con agencias gubernamentales y tomadores de decisiones, así como con empresas, para que podamos continuar avanzando en la visión comunitaria. ¡Gracias por tomarse el tiempo para completar esta encuesta!
Southeast Environmental Task Force
Southeast Youth Alliance
Friends of the Chicago River
Calumet Collaborative
Active Transportation Alliance
Neighbor-Space
Alliance for the Great Lakes

Check out the photos from the two most recent Chicago Workers Cottage events.

1) Chicago Workers Cottage Initiative General Meeting - April 9th, 2024 from 12 PM to 1 PM.
2) The Stop Along: Cottage Lovers Meetup - April 11th, 2024 from 5:30 PM to 8 PM.
Chicago Workers Cottage Initiative

Join us for an insightful conversation with Roy Alston, the esteemed Executive Director of Five Points in Austin, TX. Delve into the critical topic of deploying financial solutions for businesses and real estate development in low-income communities. Roy brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the table, offering invaluable insights into fostering economic growth and prosperity in underserved areas. Don't miss this opportunity to gain valuable knowledge and perspectives that can drive positive change and empower communities. The event will be held on Tuesday, April 16th, 2024 from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM CDT at the Great Cities Institute (412 South Peoria Street, Suite 400, Chicago, Illinois 60607-7067).

Event Page: https://greatcities.uic.edu/event/deploying-financial-solutions-for-businesses-and-real-estate-development-in-low-income-communities-a-conversation-with-roy-alston/

RSVP: https://forms.gle/RAwd6R2rCidBouhz6

[Happening Tomorrow!]
Cottage Lovers Meetup on April 11th, 2024 (Tomorrow Thursday) from 5:30 PM to 8:00 PM CDT at 2210 N California Ave, Chicago, IL 60647!

This social event is for cottage owners, wanna-be cottage owners, and anyone who cares about saving Chicago's iconic workers cottages from demolition! The Stop Along will provide free pizza, and attendees can order drinks or additional food. We'd love to gather community feedback on the cause.

Come meet fellow workers cottage lovers!

Register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cottage-lovers-meetup-tickets-826538989367?aff=ebdsoporgprofile


Chicago Workers Cottage Initiative

[It's Today!]
To RSVP: https://forms.gle/Jh4qeqzapxEfjsMc8

On Tuesday morning, October 31st, 2023, John Hagedorn died peacefully in his home with his family at his side. We deeply mourn the loss of our dear friend and colleague. John had a long-time affiliation with the Great Cities Institute and in 2016 was given the official title of James J. Stukel Senior Faculty Fellow. He was also Professor Emeritus from the Department of Criminology, Law, and Justice. We offer our deepest condolences to his wife, Mary, and to his family.

On the afternoon (from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM) of April 1, 2024 (today), at Student Center East at UIC (750 S. Halsted), we will be hosting, with the family, an event honoring John and his work. An array of international and national criminal justice experts (including our featured speaker, David Brotherton) and former students of his will also gather and speak at the event to honor the life and work of John Hagedorn.

RSVP for Honoring the Life and Work of John Hagedorn Event - April 1, 2024 This event is for honoring the life and work of John Hagedorn. It will be held on April 1, 2024 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the University of Illinois Chicago, Student Center East (750 S. Halsted St., Chicago, Illinois 60607).

[Coming Soon]
To RSVP: https://forms.gle/Jh4qeqzapxEfjsMc8

On Tuesday morning, October 31st, 2023, John Hagedorn died peacefully in his home with his family at his side. We deeply mourn the loss of our dear friend and colleague. John had a long-time affiliation with the Great Cities Institute and in 2016 was given the official title of James J. Stukel Senior Faculty Fellow. He was also Professor Emeritus from the Department of Criminology, Law, and Justice. We offer our deepest condolences to his wife, Mary, and to his family.

On the afternoon (from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM) of April 1, 2024, at Student Center East at UIC (750 S. Halsted), we will be hosting, with the family, an event honoring John and his work. An array of international and national criminal justice experts (including our featured speaker, David Brotherton) and former students of his will also gather and speak at the event to honor the life and work of John Hagedorn.

For more on remembering John Hagedorn, please visit the webpage:
https://greatcities.uic.edu/2023/11/01/our-beloved-john-hagedorn-has-joined-the-angels/

For more information about the event and a downloadable flyer, please visit the webpages:
https://greatcities.uic.edu/event/honoring-the-life-and-work-of-john-hagedorn/

[Reminder of the Event: D-2, Coming Soon!]

For more information about this event, please go to https://greatcities.uic.edu/event/the-workers-cottage-past-present-and-future/.

To RSVP for this event, please go to https://forms.gle/QK3fVamB3EiAFwKj7.

Join us for an enlightening light lunch lecture as we delve into the rich history, present challenges, and future prospects of Chicago’s iconic workers cottages. These modest yet historically significant homes have been at the heart of Chicago’s urban landscape for over a century, embodying the aspirations and struggles of working-class families throughout the city’s rapid growth. The event will be held on Thursday, March 14th, 2024 from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM CST at the Great Cities Institute, Large Conference Room (412 South Peoria Street, Suite 400, Chicago, Illinois 60607-7067).

For guest speakers, we have Joseph C. Bigott, Ph.D. from Purdue University Northwest and who is the author of From Cottage to Bungalow. As a renowned historian specializing in Chicago’s architectural heritage, Joseph brings a wealth of knowledge and insight into the significance of workers cottages in shaping the city’s built environment. Additionally, we have Lucy Gomez Feliciano, who is the community engagement director at Here to Stay Community Land Trust. With a background in urban planning and community development, Lucy offers invaluable perspectives on the challenges and opportunities associated with preserving workers cottages amidst rapid urbanization and gentrification.
Chicago Workers Cottage Initiative
https://workerscottage.org/