>> MAKING NEIGHBORHOODS VIBRANT, ACCESSIBLE AND EASY TO GET AROUND, KEY PORTS MAKING THEM SAFER.

ADVANCING SOMETHING CALLED EQUITABLE TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT, MORE ON HOW THAT WORKS, JOINING US FROM 65th AND COTTAGE GROVE, ANGEL?

>> THAT'S RIGHT, WHEN WE THINK OF CHICAGO WE THINK OF A CITY OF NEIGHBORHOODS RIGHT, AND OFTEN TIMES THE NEIGHBORHOOD IS WHERE THE FEELING OF SAFETY STARTS OR DOESN'T START, THAT'S WHY NEIGHBORHOOD DEVELOPMENT IS SO IMPORTANT.

I SPOKE WITH A COORDINATOR AT ELEVATED CHICAGO, A GROUP OF COLLABORATORS IN AUTHORS AND ARTISTS AND OTHER FOLKS THAT ALL HAVE A COMMON GOAL OF WHAT YOU JUST MENTIONED, EQUITABLE TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT.

WORKING AND LIVING IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD ONE RESIDES IN, IS AN OPTION MANY BELIEVE SHOULD BE ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYONE.

BUT IT ISN'T.

THAT IS WHERE ETO D, EQUITABLE TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT, COMES INTO PLAY.

>> IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE EVEN IF YOU DO HAVE THE ABILITY TO TRAVERSE ABOUT THE CITY WITHOUT ANY PROBLEM, THAT'S NOT THE CASE FOR EVERYONE, A LOT OF PEOPLE RELY ON PUBLIC TRANSIT, AND GETTING FROM PLACE TO PLACE IS DIFFICULT.

WHY NOT MAKE IT A CASE WHERE YOU CAN LIVE AND WORK IN YOUR OWN COMMUNITY, AND YOU CAN ACCESS THINGS EASILY NEAR YOUR TRAIN STATION OR NEAR YOUR BUS STOP.

>> SINCE 2017, ELEVATED CHICAGO HAS BEEN WORKING TO MAKE THE CITY MORE ASSESSABLE, WITH CREATIVE METHODS LIKE CAN YOU WALK THERE, A SEEN ON TIKTOK.

>> I AM WALKING IN WOODLAWN.

>> NOT JUST HAVING A SIDEWALK YOU CAN WALK ON BUT WHAT CAN YOU SEE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, ARE YOU WALKING PAST VACANT LOTS, DO YOU FEEL SAFE, ARE THERE AMENITIES YOU CAN INTERACT WITH, ALL THAT GOES UNDER WALK ABILITY, YOU MAY NOT WALK PAST ANYTHING THAT YOU CAN GO INTO FOR BLOCKS VERSUS OTHER AREAS, YOU WILL WALK PAST HOMES AND BARS, AND PAST DOG GROOMERS, ALL KINDS OF THINGS WILL BE THERE, IT'S NOT FAIR THAT THERE HAS TO BE THIS INEQUITY, BUT IF WE WANT TO BRING THE DEVELOPMENT, WE NEED TO HAVE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AT THE FOREFRONT.

NOW ARE GOING TO BUILD THE STUFF, IT'S GOING TO GO UP, THE PROPERTY VALUES GOING TO GO UP AND PEOPLE SAY I DIDN'T WANT A DOG GROOMER NEIGHBORHOOD, THAT'S NOT WHAT I NEEDED, I NEED THE GROCERY STORE, AND PEOPLE HAVE A VOICE.

>> DETERMINES THAT THE NEIGHBORHOOD IS ETO D FRIENDLY AND WALKABLE QUICK >> FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS TO BE CONSIDERED ETOD, HALF-MILE OF A TRAIN STATION OR QUARTER-MILE OF THE BUS STOP, DEVELOPMENT IS WHATEVER IS BEING BUILT, AFFORDABLE HOUSING, YOUR GROCERY STORES, YOUR MURALS, WHATEVER IS GETTING PUT UP, BUT THE EQUITY PART IS THE PART THAT HAS BEEN MISSING A LOT OF THE DEVELOPMENTS.

FOR EXAMPLE LOGAN SQUARE, EXAMPLE OF ETOD IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD, ONE OF THE MOST PROMINENT IS THE LUCY PARSONS GONZALEZ APARTMENTS, 100 UNITS OF 100% AFFORDABLE HOUSING, THE GREEN ROUTE THERE, HOP AND A JUMP FROM LOGAN SQUARE TRAIN LINE.

WE MET ONE OF 40+ PROJECTS THAT ELEVATED CHICAGO HAS WORKED ON.

>> WHERE PEOPLE ARE ON THE BUS AND ABLE TO GET AROUND EASILY, MAYBE THEY DON'T HAVE TO DRIVE, SO OVERALL ETOD BENEFITS EVERYONE, AND IT IS SOMETHING THAT ALLOWS US TO FIGHT AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE AND ALLOWS US TO HAVE MORE RACIAL EQUITY FOR PEOPLE RELIANT ON TRANSIT ESPECIALLY BLACK AND BROWN NEIGHBORHOODS.

AND MORE DEVELOPMENT, WITH THE COMMUNITY DESIRES.

>> AND 64th IN COTTAGE, AND NOT BEHIND ME NOW, AND THE DEFINITION THEATER, ACTUALLY ONE OF THE PROJECTS I WAS TALKING ABOUT, ELEVATED CHICAGO HAS HELPED TO PUSH ALONG, LITTLE BIT HARD TO SEE AROUND ME, A TRAIN STATION ABOUT A BLOCK UP, A COUPLE OF FOOD EATERIES BUT WOODLAWN I WOULD SAY IS ALL PRETTY SCARCE, WHICH MEANS EVEN WITH THE THEATER COMING BEHIND ME, STILL A WAYS AWAY BECOMING A WALKABLE NEIGHBORHOOD.

>> IT'S BEING FUNDED BY THE CITY?

>> AND ETO D GRANTS, THE THEATER WHERE IF YOU KNOW THE PUBLIC SPACE THAT IS IN NEED SOMETHING TO BRIGHTEN UP THE NEIGHBORHOOD, IT FALLS WITHIN THE ETOD GUIDELINES, IT IS SOMETHING YOU SHOULD UTILIZE.

ACTUALLY BE PUTTING UP ANOTHER ROUND OF APPLICATIONS, IF YOU KNOW OF A NEIGHBORHOOD OR AN AREA IN A NEIGHBORHOOD THAT IS