Quality-Of-Life Plan Unveiled For North Lawndale

CHICAGO — West Side residents, stakeholders and community-based organizations attended the unveiling of a comprehensive Quality-of-Life Plan for the North Lawndale neighborhood Thursday evening. Presented by the North Lawndale Community Coordinating Council, in coordination with the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning and LISC Chicago, the plan aims to change the narrative about the community "from violence and poverty to peace and prosperity."

“In order to improve the quality of life in North Lawndale, full participation from all stakeholders is required,” Rodney Brown, an NLCCC Executive Committee member, said in a statement. “Now, residents and a variety of internal and external stakeholders will work alongside each other for its implementation. The majority of residents have an interest in the growth and development of the community despite consistent media reports of shootings and abject poverty.”

The plan, entitled North Lawndale: The Next Chapter, includes eight different issue areas, with a focus on public safety and housing. Residents and stakeholders have formed 13 committees over the past two years and are working to implement the plan, which has already resulted in millions of dollars invested in North Lawndale.

LISC Chicago Program Officer Tameeka Christian said the latest plan —which expanded on the 2005 Quality-of-Life Plan — took a "comprehensive approach to encompass more issues, serve more areas, and reach out for input to even more residents and stakeholders."

"Things are very different 12 years later, but North Lawndale is working on innovative ideas to bring needed investments to the community while making sure that they build wealth and ownership for long-term residents,” she said in a statement. “This Quality-of-Life Plan created an opportunity for residents, stakeholders and civic leaders to establish a clear vision and a road map for actions that will lead to a promising next chapter for the North Lawndale Community.”

The plan was unveiled at the NLCCC’s Annual Meeting Thursday at Old Saint Patrick’s Auxiliary Auditorium, 625 West Adams Street. The event included presentations from each of the subcommittee chairs including Housing, Transportation and Workforce Development. Attendees were able to sign up for various subcommittees to make the latest plan come to life. Copies of the plan were handed out and large-scale maps of the community’s transitions and additions were on display at the event.

Images courtesy of LISC Chicago