DEVELOPMENT WITHOUT DISPLACEMENT
Place Keeping verb
Definition 1: The endeavor of activating and maintaining the cultural identity of a community while revitalizing the economy and structures in place.
Definition 2: The process of implementing place-based community and economic development tools that use art and cultural activities and installments to animate public spaces, rejuvenate structures and streetscapes, improve local business visibility and public safety, and bring people together to build a shared understanding of culture and community. (source)
Definition 3: The active care and maintenance of a place and its social fabric by the people who live and work there. It is not just preserving buildings but keeping the cultural memories associated with a locale alive, while supporting the ability of local people to maintain their way of life as they choose. (source)
CURRENT INITIATIVES
La Placita de Belmont Cragin
A soon-to-be-constructed plaza which will be located at the intersection of W Fullerton and W Grand Avenues, serving as a gateway entrance to the Belmont Cragin community. La Placita will support street vendors, create a community gathering space, and will be activated with arts and culture events.
Click here to learn more.
Avenues for Growth plan
Diversey, Fullerton, and Grand Avenues are Belmont Cragin’s key corridors to eat, shop, start a business, live, ride a bike, and take the bus. All of Northwest Side CDC’s work is informed by the Belmont Cragin Avenues for Growth Plan. We are working with residents to focus on the three main commercial corridors as sites for investment and improvement.
The Avenues for Growth Corridors Plan identifies strategies for creating jobs, supporting small and locally-owned businesses, improving housing options, and improving transportation and public places along Belmont Cragin’s three main corridors: Diversey, Fullerton, and Grand Avenues.
WHO MADE THIS PLAN POSSIBLE?
First and foremost, this plan was guided by input from over 800 residents, who are rooted here and deserve the first say in shaping decisions that impact their community. In addition to NWSCDC, the plan was steered by JGMA Architects, Teska Associates and our partner affiliate, the Northwest Side Housing Center. The Plan was funded by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning’s Local Technical Assistance (LTA) program, which has undertaken more than 200 projects since 2012 to help communities plan for increased livability, sustainability and economic vitality.
Community Organizing
If you don’t like developers and politicians making decisions about your community without you, then you’re in the right place. From hiring locally to shaping the culture of our community, small businesses invest in Belmont Cragin and make it the vibrant neighborhood we love. We support entrepreneurs along the Fullerton and Diversey corridors in organizing for increased safety for their stores, sidewalks, and streets.
WILL YOU JOIN US?
No matter your age, language, or documentation status, whether you’re a business owner or aspiring entrepreneur, you deserve a seat at the table to decide the rules that shape your community.