FAQs

Equitable TOD (eTOD) is development that enables all people regardless of income, race, ethnicity, age, gender, immigration status or ability to experience the benefits of dense, mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented development near transit hubs. eTOD elevates and prioritizes investments and policies that close the socioeconomic gaps between neighborhoods that are predominately people of color and those that are majority white.  eTOD projects and processes elevate community voice in decision making processes and in realizing community-focused benefits such as affordable housing, public health, strong local businesses, and environmental sustainability, to name a few.  When centered on racial inclusion and community wealth building, eTOD can be a driver of positive transformation for more vibrant, prosperous, and resilient neighborhoods connected to opportunities throughout the city and region.

Elevated Chicago is a partnership of organizations committed to transforming the half-mile radius around transit stations into hubs of opportunity and connection across our region’s vast transit system. Elevated Chicago views station areas as optimal locations where arts and culture, urban design, social programming and development can converge in order to address the region’s deeply rooted disparities in racial equity, with a focus on public health and climate resiliency outcomes. With support from SPARCC,  Elevated Chicago will transform decision-making structures so that low-income residents and people of color strengthen their power and influence, and so equity values are embedded in the urban development process and in its outcomes. Our initial work in four pivotal communities will guide and inform a longer-term commitment to scale this model regionally.

The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) is the regional planning agency for northeastern Illinois. CMAP serves seven counties, 284 municipalities, and over 1,200 units of government—the third largest metropolitan region in the United States. The agency was established in 2005 with the mission to plan comprehensively for economic prosperity and quality of life.

Most recently, CMAP and its partners developed and are now implementing ON TO 2050, a new long-range plan to help the seven counties and 284 communities of northeastern Illinois implement strategies that address transportation, housing, economic development, open space, the environment, and other quality-of-life issues. To learn more about CMAP, visit www.cmap.llinois.gov.

Elevated Chicago has a group representing the Green Line South station (51st, Garfield, and 63rd/Cottage Grove). The GLS Community Table will assist CMAP with engagement, outreach, and advice. The CMAP project for the Garfield station will have a Resident Action Council comprised of individuals representing a wide variety of interests and perspectives, with a priority on long-time residents. The Council will guide the project team and give input on existing issues and opportunities, developing central goals, reviewing written documents, and assisting with public outreach. The Council members will be compensated for their time.