Over the past several years, we have seen increased attention on the issue of Chicago’s Black population loss, but there has not been a larger public discussion or initiative focused on generating strategies that might repopulate the neighborhoods on the South and West Sides. Driving investment into these communities is critical, and from a residential standpoint, offering a broad range of affordable housing types that are attainable for all incomes will be key to bringing Black Chicagoans home.

The Come Home Chicago project explored infill housing designs in six neighborhoods - Auburn Gresham, Bronzeville, East Garfield Park, Englewood, Humboldt Park, Woodlawn - each with its own distinct history, culture and identity.

urbanAC worked on socioeconomic and cultural analysis, developing neighborhood land narratives that unpack histories and current opportunities, cultural asset mapping, and developing resident avatars to represent profiles of both existing neighborhood residents and potential residents that the program might target to attract.