More than 1,000 residents and stakeholders have contributed to a new five-year quality-of-life plan for South Chicago, aiming to address longstanding challenges in the neighborhood. The updated plan was celebrated at an event attended by at least 150 people at the Salud Center on East 91st Street.
The plan, which builds on an initial version released in 2007, sets out goals across seven key areas: arts and culture, economic development, education, environment and infrastructure, health, housing, and safety. Strategies include drawing more visitors to local events, expanding job training and business support, improving educational opportunities in STEM fields and adult learning, increasing access to green spaces and transportation infrastructure, enhancing health services including mental health care, maintaining affordable housing stock while encouraging ownership among residents, and strengthening community-based public safety programs.
Event emcee Melissa Perez described the document as a starting point for future action. “This isn’t a final plan; this is a working plan,” Perez said. “This is a blueprint, a stepping stone for us to get what we want for now and in the future.”
Community leaders acknowledged that while the planning phase involved broad participation from 44 organizations and over 1,200 individuals since October 2024, implementation will require significant funding. Irma Chavez of Family Rescue said: “Residents ‘own the commitment and the responsibility of taking over a project, but also we need the funds — the money, the moolah, the dinero — to be able to do that.’” She added: “We cannot do it all. Everything [in the] plan is [proposed] as a community, but we really need those people that have the money … to come in here and invest, because they’ll get something back.”
The area has experienced major changes since its steel mills closed decades ago. Since 2000, South Chicago’s population has dropped by nearly one-quarter. Persistent issues include disparities in health outcomes and employment opportunities alongside high rates of poverty and gun violence.
Vanessa Schwartz of Metropolitan Family Services’ Southeast Chicago Center highlighted efforts to coordinate resources: “We operate… too much in the silos,” Schwartz said. “The left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing. That’s one of the goals: to ensure that our resources are well known across the community…”
Since its last update in 2007—which included plans for redevelopment of U.S. Steel’s former South Works site—the neighborhood has seen several new projects proposed or underway. These include Quantum Shore Chicago—a $9 billion initiative expected to bring quantum computing facilities as well as new housing—and other developments like Thrive Exchange on 79th Street and Galeria 89 on Commercial Avenue.
Tamara Fou from Chicago’s Department of Planning emphasized integrating past lessons with current needs: “We’re taking the past, present and future outlook for this community to help guide future growth and development,” Fou said.
Alderman Greg Mitchell (7th) expressed optimism about renewed investment: “We’ve [been in] a storm for the last 30-something years… We can’t mess this up. We have a huge opportunity on the Southeast Side.”
The full quality-of-life plan is available online for those interested in reviewing its proposals.
