Priority on Equity Gives Hope for Chicago's Transit-Oriented Development Plans

Chicago's new Equitable Transit Oriented Development Policy Plan, mandated by the city in 2019, was recently released. The plan " required the city to study disparities in the TOD ordinance performance and propose updates to encourage more equitable development. The eTOD plan was developed in partnership with Elevated Chicago. An eTOD Work Group was created to engage over 70 stakeholders representing many city departments, community organizations, the private sector, philanthropic organizations, and regional nonprofit and governmental partners," writes Courtney Cobbs

Cobbs says that a TOD development analysis revealed that between 2016 and 2019, 90% of new projects were located "on the North Side, Northwest Side, in the West Loop, or downtown." Those areas with new projects saw an increase in white residents and a decrease in Black residents, a trend Cobbs says points to displacement patterns. 

The eTOD Policy Plan lays out a series of strategies to bring equity to the transit-oriented Development process: "Build the city’s capacity to support eTOD; Making eTOD required, easier, and more equitable; and embedding eTOD principles into Chicago’s citywide planning process."

Cobb lays out highlights from each of the plan's three prioritized strategies, sharing the city's plan for each item.