Development

Much has happened in the five years since MPC released Our Equitable Futures. In light of significant shifts accelerated by COVID-19 and a refocusing on racial justice, we're looking back to see what has been accomplished, what learnings we can take from these recommendations, and how we should look to the future to build a more equitable region.

The Metropolitan Planning Council, together with Urban Institute and a team of policy advisors, is leading a groundbreaking, two-year research and policy initiative. The first phase of the work—detailed in the report at right—reveals that segregation costs the Chicago region billions in lost income, lost lives and lost potential each year.

Zoning and land use are policy and planning tools that can help shape the way residents interact with their neighborhoods and lead to greater equitable and sustainable development.

In August of 2022, MPC released research and recommendations on the need to center equity in how development is funded in the City of Chicago. A new website equitableincentives.org, was launched to house the findings and help users understand how and where specific financial incentives have been used in the past,... Read more »

MPC is advocating for policies, funding, and planning that advances development near transit—known as transit-oriented development, or TOD—for people of all incomes, in neighborhoods across the region. 

Developed over many months in collaboration with stakeholders, and informed by the lived experience of members of the community, MPC has created a blueprint of strategies for community action against displacement.