MUSE Community + Design

MUSE is thrilled to be working alongside Chicago Department of Planning and Development, Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), and our partners at Blue Daring to produce City Civics Day, featuring inspiring workshops, panels, and arts activations involving top City of Chicago officials and distinguished community voices! We've built on what worked for last year's inaugural event, and added some new elements like arts activations and wellness breaks! Register to attend at Chicago.gov/CityCivicsDay. Admission is free! Guests are invited to drop in any time during the day. Lunch will be provided.

We met Kennedy Causby two years ago at the American Planning Association - Illinois Chapter conference in 2022 while she was a student at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. In a full-circle moment, last week she and Lizbeth Carrazco represented MUSE in a very rizz-y (did we do that right?) session about youth engagement at #APAIL2024 on UIUC campus!

A Milwaukee County Safer Streets Workshop offered potential infrastructure solutions on "corridors of concern" in Milwaukee, which MUSE Associate Syd Swift says infused the event with a sense of hope. There are four more workshops scheduled over the next few weeks. Check out TMJ4 News coverage of last night's workshop to learn more. https://lnkd.in/gQXDYicX

We're getting ready for this week's American Planning Association - Illinois Chapter #APAIL24 in Champaign! In addition to joining our amazing clients Rogers Park Business Alliance, City of Evanston, Regional Transportation Authority of Northeastern Illinois (RTA), and Village of Homewood for the awards reception on Wednesday night, our agenda includes: - Wednesday: Three Speed Planning sessions, including How to Transform Your Meeting into an Experience with Dhara Shah and Katrina Balog - Friday: Developer AMA (Ask Me Anything) led by Courtney Kashima, AICP - Friday: Standing on Business 101, the much-anticipated followup to last year's Up Your Rizz youth engagement session, led by Lizbeth Carrazco and Kennedy Causby

Last night MUSE was recognized as one of the 100 best places to work in Chicago by Crain's Chicago Business. Courtney Kashima, AICP started the firm ten years ago with three clear goals: creating better processes, better plans, and a better place to work. Our team of planners, designers, writers, analysts, facilitators, and administrators is small and mighty, and we're bound by our shared passion for using our talents and curiosity to design a more just world. Congratulations to the rest of last night's winners! See the full list here: https://lnkd.in/gqfyuahZ

Leading in-person public workshops across Milwaukee County, MUSE and WSP in the U.S. worked with community partners to bring the Safe Streets Roadshow to all 19 municipalities in the county. Aaron Gatdula and Syd Swift will be joined by Celia Jackson from Coalition for Safe Driving MKE during a session at this week's American Planning Association - Wisconsin Chapter Conference where they'll share what worked, lessons learned, and their hopes for the next phase of this urgent effort to reduce reckless driving in Milwaukee County.

Syd Swift and Fiona Kennedy had a great time with Young Professionals in Transportation (YPT) - Chicago Chapter exploring Chicago Transit Authority newest station, the Damen Green Line. Project architects and CTA staff shared insight into the community-focused details incorporated into the station design and the launch of CTA's newest wayfinding standards.

MUSE Community + Design is #hiring a full-time SAFE (Streets Are For Everyone) Ambassador to support the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT). SAFE Ambassadors represent CDOT in its efforts to support and promote active transportation and other traffic safety initiatives. This is a great opportunity for someone who is outgoing and passionate about safe streets and active transportation! Starting salary is $57,200. Learn more and apply: https://lnkd.in/gyVrJwyw

Fiona Kennedy and Kennedy Causby popped up at City Colleges of Chicago-Olive-Harvey College yesterday to promote the second year of #CityCivicsDay! Our women-led dream team - including Blue Daring, Gabriela Jirasek, Maria L., and Amanda Carlson - is designing another thoughtful and interactive day of civic engagement for our city. Save the date: Saturday, November 9, 2024, and sign up for updates at chicago.gov/CityCivicsDay.

We're looking forward to supporting Territory NFP and the Territory Internship for Design Equity (TIDE) interns next week as they complete their summer project. TIDEs spent their summer researching and interviewing the community to influence their design project and will unveil the final design of a memorial to Austin's "pink house" on Thursday, August 8. We hope to see some of our friends and partners there!