Urban Environmentalists

Adding much-needed housing while preserving historic neighborhood character? You bet! In Crain's Chicago Business, UE member Danny Villalobos makes the case for ADUs by right in Chicago's bungalow belt. ADUs can increase the area's affordable housing stock while bolstering the finances of Chicago's working-class families.

Chicago Happy Hour: Halloween Party Overlay District! 🎃 We have special zoning permissions from Marz Community Brewing Co. to host a spooky happy hour on October 31st from 5:30 to 8:00. Come stop scary NIMBY zombies with us! Costumes encouraged! 👻

"We started showing them pictures of [more livable-looking] dense communities that were not like the State Street corridor... And then we started to have a conversation..." That's the always-quotable Jacky Grimshaw looking back to her time selling officials at RTA on then-newer equitable transit-oriented development strategies Thanks, Cameron Bolton of streetsblog chicago for covering Jacky and everyone else who turned out for this sold-out event last week and thanks to Urban Environmentalists for hosting!

Sharing our third Bay Area mobilization, for longtime YIMBY environmentalist Danny Sauter. We'll be in District 3 on Wed Oct 23 at 4:30pm with our friends San Francisco Bicycle Coalition and Sierra Club, San Francisco Bay Chapter. Ballots have already dropped, so let's talk to voters and have fun!! https://lnkd.in/gfhXEy9V

Announcing our second Bay Area mobilization, for Ocean Beach Park (Prop K)! Join us on Oct 13 in Dolores Park - connect with voters, stay for 🍕 🥤 In a city with more homes and more residents, we need more parks, too. Plus as our climate changes, we need to adapt and better manage our coastal ecosystem. Let's make this a reality, together! RSVP today: https://lu.ma/greenies

Hey San Franciscans! Did you know we're organizing environmentally-themed election mobilizations, so you can join like-minded friends in supporting your favorite local measures & candidates? We're starting on Thursday, October 10 with D7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar, who will join us in person 🤩 Let's knock on doors from 4-6pm and get to know voters! Optional: Stick around for a UE happy hour afterwards. RSVP now: https://lnkd.in/g7TUhNCJ

A common objection to traffic-calming measures is that they’ll slow the flow of traffic on a street. This shows a fundamental misunderstanding of what a street is for. Streets are platforms for building community wealth, while roads are for moving vehicular traffic quickly. Streets need to be designed in ways that promote walkability and safety; because the more people there are walking safely, the more spending (and therefore tax revenue generation) you’ll see.

UE member Adam Drakulic was brought on as a guest author with Elevated Chicago ETOD to discuss the importance of housing near the Belmont CTA station. This is one of the busiest stops along one of the country's best transit systems. If not here, then where? Read below 👇

UE member Eshan Dosani got published in the Chicago Tribune! He points to exclusionary zoning (read: single-family-only zoning) as a policy that has - and continues to - drive racial segregation and inequity. It's an eye-opener if you've never connected these dots before.

The de-conversion of Chicago two-flats into single-family homes worsens our housing crisis and drives displacement. This week, UE delivered a letter of support for the Northwest Preservation Ordinance (NPO), which establishes two-flats as the minimum required density. 🏘