Chicago Passes Equitable TOD Ordinance

A press release from the Chicago mayor’s office announces the passage of the city’s Connected Communities Ordinance, which updates Chicago’s Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) ordinance to promote more equitable outcomes. “Designed to stimulate equitable development near public transit, the ordinance creates jobs by catalyzing investment near transit, makes streets safer for all Chicagoans who walk, bike, drive or roll their wheelchair, and promotes affordable housing options near transit.

Calling it “the most comprehensive and equity-focused update to the City’s transit-oriented development policy yet,” the release states that “Key goals of the Connected Communities Ordinance [include] facilitating more investment near transit on the South and West sides of the City and preventing displacement and promoting affordable housing options in transit-rich communities on the North and Northwest sides – all while making sidewalks and streets safer everywhere.”

The city first passed a transit-oriented development (TOD) policy in 2016, but an analysis found that 90 percent of projects that took advantage of TOD incentives were located in Chicago’s wealthier neighborhoods. The new ordinance implements the recommendations made in the 2021 Equitable Transit-Oriented Development (ETOD) Policy Plan. One key component of the policy is expanding incentives to more areas of the city, including more bus corridors.