Executive Summary:

Together we will create a bright future. The Chicago Prize will leverage investment of $41 million for physical assets, following our Quality-of-Life Plan designed by and for residents. North Lawndale is on the brink of major revitalization with new employers like Cinespace and Lagunitas, national festivals in historic Douglas Park, and for-profit developers eying swaths of vacant property. It is up to us to ensure longtime residents reap the benefits of new jobs, housing, services, and infrastructure. Key capital projects will catalyze the economic stability of thousands of longtime residents: working families ready to own their own home, low-income families in need of affordable rentals, Opportunity Youth at the highest risk of violence and a lifetime of incarceration; and residents ready to build skills and knowledge to secure quality, available jobs. All will benefit from access to healthcare. Blighted buildings and vacant lots will be restored to use and, tying it all together, residents will design greenspace and public art through placemaking. Project partners – experienced organizations with a tremendous history of working together to better North Lawndale – will ensure each project’s success. With assets, challenges, and a deeply collaborative planning process, now is the time to advance together, to welcome new developments while protecting current residents from being priced out. We envision North Lawndale as a healthy, vibrant community with a diversified and innovative economy, competitive workforce, engaged citizens, and infrastructure that supports long-term, sustainable growth. The Chicago Prize investment will move the needle towards achieving this vision.