Transit agencies should continually interact with their riders and community members to ensure services meet their needs. Community engagement can take many forms, from agency staff hearing public comments on a finished project to working with constituents to design a plan or policy. Transit agencies often outsource this work to third-party consultants, who can be unfamiliar with the communities they are tasked to engage with.  Since the mid-2010s, LA Metro has been refining a... Continue reading »

  Please join us as we gather to celebrate the life of Lew Kreinberg, leader, mentor, friend, and inspiration to generations of Chicagoans working to make this city a better place for all. Come share your memories of Lew’s life full of energy, commitment, imagination, and joy. 3 to 5 pm, Saturday May 11 at Friendship Baptist Church, 5200 W Jackson Blvd, Chicago Program includes speakers, music and refreshments. Parking is available at the church. Please RSVP here... Continue reading »

The H+T® Affordability Index highlights location efficiency by using an “apples to apples” comparison of housing costs. What’s the Question? Users often ask why we use the median-income household in every block group in a metro area, pointing out that this misrepresents the actual costs for the households living there. The question goes to the heart of how our tool shows that living in compact and convenient area helps people stretch their budget. In a nutshell, the H+T Index is a... Continue reading »

Introducing a series of blogs on CNT’s H+T Affordability Index – our most popular web tool. Nearly 20 years ago, CNT (Center for Neighborhood Technology) developed our Housing & Transportation, or H+T, Affordability Index. We theorized – and the data quickly proved -- that adding the two highest household costs, housing, and transportation, changes the way we look at household affordability. In other words, examining how location efficiency drives true affordability. The H+T Index is... Continue reading »

We recently named Pam Jones as the first full-time fellow. An internship opportunity to work with CNT Vice President for Government Affairs Jacky Grimshaw will open next month. Native Chicagoan Pamela Jones got interested in transportation planning and policy because she wanted to expand transportation options in urban and rural communities. “I was lucky enough to grow up in a transit-rich neighborhood and took the train and bus to get around," says Jones. “The older I got,... Continue reading »

Overton Elementary rain garden re-install and other projects lead agenda for CNT’s placekeeping projects in the heart of the city. Dedicated volunteer garden stewards gathered at Overton Center for Excellence in Bronzeville on the first day of fall, Saturday, September 23 to bring new life to the rain garden located on the east edge of the former elementary school property, an 8-minute stroll from the 51st Street Green Line station.   Through our Climate and Cultural... Continue reading »

Video produced by Rudd Resources City planner and community leader Nina Idemudia looks to usher in a new era of innovation towards addressing sustainability and equity as the Center for Neighborhood Technology’s new CEO For almost 50 years, CNT has been a national leader in finding innovative ways to make cities more sustainable, resilient and equitable for all who live there. The CNT board was delighted with Nina’s understanding of how built environments shape the lives of... Continue reading »

Chicago finally caught a weekend break from torrential thunderstorms and poor air quality coming from Canadian forest fires on Saturday, July 22—making it a great day for the Water Justice Fair that Little Village Environmental Justice Organization (LVEJO) and Center for Neighborhood Technology co-hosted at Las Semillas de Justicia Garden.   The event was one of the first post-pandemic in-person gatherings for our two groups. Las Semillas de Justicia Garden was a... Continue reading »

CNT partnered more than a year ago with Evanston Development Cooperative and other groups to create the new Green Homes pilot program in two Evanston communities. It uses public funds to provide home upgrades free-of-charge.  Evanston is one of the first communities in the country to launch a program like this.  Homeowners and residents of the pilot program's focus neighborhoods can find out if they are eligible and apply on the new program portal at greenhomes.cnt.org.... Continue reading »

“We always think it’s going to be a big movement, a big force, something that’s beyond ourselves that’s going to be our solution when in fact, it’s us– the moms, the grandmoms, the kids,” Lorée Washington, a Riverdale community leader, said during a recent virtual workshop for residents of South Suburban communities where the RainReady project is addressing urban flooding. As we partner with local groups to develop the RainReady Calumet Corridor with support from the Cook County government,... Continue reading »