Resilience Initiative

Our City, Our Future: Building Resilient Neighborhoods

As a leading multi-disciplinary organization focused on the built environment, ULI Chicago is well positioned to convene its members and partner organizations to develop best practices for a restoration framework following the COVID-19 pandemic to help build a more equitable, sustainable and resilient Chicago region. Cities have long been the crucibles of innovation and growth and for Chicago to continue to thrive in that role, we need a shared, inclusive vision for the future that includes all neighborhoods. Identifying opportunities for encouraging capital investment across all sectors of the built environment, with a focus on uplifting all neighborhoods and residents by addressing ongoing structural disinvestment, will be a key part of ULI Chicago’s Resiliency Initiative. Sustainable development practices that help build climate resilience will be an integral part of recommendations.

The Initiative focused on developing a framework for building equitable and sustainable neighborhoods as building blocks of a thriving, resilient city. ULI Chicago convened four task forces to help identify key physical, social and economic elements that help build resilience at the neighborhood and at the city level and developed recommendations to encourage and nurture them in Chicago’s neighborhoods.  In partnership with the City of Chicago, these recommendations can be found in the final report. The four task forces focused on:

  • Housing Diversity. For-sale and rental housing that is affordable for various income levels, supports health & safety of residents in different life stages.
  • Economic Opportunity. Access to education, jobs, and opportunity for all households, especially households of color, to promote stability.
  • Physical Infrastructure. Strategic investments to improve mobility, access to safe drinking water and manage urban flooding. Ensuring that existing/new infrastructure advances sustainability and is designed to withstand the impacts of extreme heat and cold associated with climate change.
  • Social Infrastructure. Promoting contextual neighborhood development that enhances access to services & resources such as fresh foods, healthcare, open space, arts and that celebrates the rich architectural and cultural heritage of Chicago’s neighborhoods.

See the list of Resilience Initiative Task Force Members

Watch the Report Release Event

Read the Report:

In the News:

Front Stoop Series:  ULI Chicago is hosting a four-part series that digs deeper into the recommendations from our four Resilience Task Forces.

  • ULI Chicago | The Front Stoop Series | Resilience Series: Clean, Smart, & Equitable: Building Tomorrow’s Infrastructure
    September 9, 2021
    A Conversation with:
    Gia Biagi, Commissioner, Department of Transportation, City of Chicago
    Sara Disney Haufe, Director of Traffic Engineering, Chicago, Sam Schwartz
    Scott Goldstein, Principal, Teska Associates
    Billy Grayson, Executive Vice President, Centers and Initiatives, Urban Land Institute
    Watch Recording
    Read Meeting Summary
  • ULI Chicago | The Front Stoop Series | Resilience Series: Building a Chicago that Works for All
    August 26, 2021
    A Conversation with:
    Ciere Boatright, Vice President, Real Estate and Inclusion, Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives
    Claude Robinson Jr., Executive Vice President, External Affairs and Diversity, UCAN
    Juan Sebastian Arias, Deputy Director of Policy, Office of the Mayor, City of Chicago
    Watch Recording
    Read Meeting Summary
  • ULI Chicago | The Front Stoop Series | Resilience Series: Creating a Thriving Economic Ecosystem
    August 19, 2021
    A Conversation with:
    Pamela Daniels-Halisi, Managing Director of Community Lending, BMO Harris Bank, N.A. and President, BMO Harris New Markets Fund, LLC
    Marcia Delaney, Program Manager of Business Growth Services, Southland Development Authority
    Brad McConnell, Chief Executive Officer, Allies for Community Business
    Watch Recording
    Read Meeting Summary
  • ULI Chicago | The Front Stoop Series | Resilience Series: Thinking Outside the Housing Box
    August 12, 2021
    A Conversation with:
    Bryan Esenberg, Managing Deputy Commissioner, Department of Housing, City of Chicago
    Ameya Pawar, Senior Fellow, Economic Security Project, and Former Alderman, 47th Ward, City of Chicago
    Jacques Sandberg, Vice President, Affordable Housing, Related Midwest
    Watch Recording
    Read Meeting Summary