North Lawndale: The Next Chapter

The North Lawndale Community Coordinating Council (NLCCC) first convened in 2015 to bring together more than 70 local organizations to address decades of disinvestment and reflect on the collaborative vision for their neighborhood’s future and to lead the development of this Quality-of-Life Plan (QLP). More than 700 community members—including longtime residents who have always seen the beauty and power of North Lawndale, and young people who are invested in building its bright future—participated in the planning process, which received support from the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning and LISC Chicago. NLCCC’s “North Lawndale: The Next Chapter” QLP has provided alignment and focus, positioning the community to access needed resources and investments. Since launching the QLP in 2018, NLCCC has achieved significant investment and progress towards the plan’s goals. NLCCC’s leadership and strong community collaboration has resulted in the annual North Lawndale Arts & Cultural Festival; the opening of the North Lawndale Employment Network Workforce Development campus; the Ogden Commons development, a public-private partnership that will also include The Lawndale Children’s Discovery Center, a new children’s museum; the 1,000 Homes initiative which has received financing commitments from the City of Chicago and others for the first 250 homes; and the improvements and reactivation of public spaces in Douglass Park, most notably the youth-designed Douglass 18 mini-golf facility. NLCCC started planning by setting a shared vision of North Lawndale as a healthy, vibrant community with a diversified and innovative economy, competitive work force, engaged citizens and infrastructure that supports long-term, sustainable growth. As the council continues to implement and achieve results, NLCCC is staying focused on its approach of continually developing and executing bold, community-driven solutions with the input of an engaged community that questions assumptions and challenges the status quo.