Chicago Community Planning Academy

Mission

The Chicago Community Planning Academy creates a thriving community of empowered participants who actively engage in formal planning and design processes to advocate for and create more equitable, healthy, and vibrant neighborhoods through continuous, equity-centered education and networking. 

Vision

To transform formal planning and design processes by empowering residents to lead a dynamic, community-centered approach, enabling them to actively shape and revitalize their communities for an improved quality of life.

Values

Educational: Fosters a reciprocal learning environment where lecturers, participants, and their communities exchange knowledge and insights, empowering everyone to collaboratively learn.

Anti-Racist: Recognizes that racism is embedded in predominant planning and design processes and actively challenges these practices by identifying where it happens and providing/discussing tools to disrupt these practices in partnership with all the stakeholders involved in current processes.

Inclusive: Welcomes and embraces learners from all backgrounds, providing an accessible and supportive environment where everyone can build a working understanding of planning and development processes.

Self-Reflective: Encourages both participants and facilitators to regularly pause and reflect on their personal decisions and systemic decisions, fostering growth and continuous improvement for themselves and the program as a whole.

Community Centered: Inspires participants and facilitators to take civic action that encourages tangible and equitable impact in Chicago’s communities, including their own when applicable.

Resilient: Builds participants' capacity to overcome barriers to engaging in formal processes and creating meaningful change in their community, while also addressing their diverse needs and everyday realities.