YOUR CITY NEEDS YOU — A Strong Towns Chicago Zine

★ Strong Towns Chicago ★

YOUR
CITY
NEEDS
YOU.

A field guide for everyday Chicagoans who want to improve the places they love.

Start anywhere. Start now.

Here's the truth: cities are built by decisions — and most people never show up to make them. The ones who do? They shape everything. Streets. Parks. Housing. Transit. Your neighborhood's future.

You don't have to be an expert. You don't need a title. You just have to start. This zine gives you a ladder of action — climb as high as you want. Every rung matters.

🌱
Level 01 · Entry Point
Tiny Tiny Actions
No meetings. No expertise. Just showing up differently in your daily life — and that counts.
🚌
Take transit or walk Skip the car or Uber for a trip. Every rider makes the system stronger.
🗑️
Pick up trash One piece of litter on your walk. It shifts your relationship to the street.
🏙️
Find out who your alder is Know your rep — they make decisions that affect your block every week. Find them →
📬
Sign up for your ward newsletter Local knowledge is power. Find yours →
💡 Strong Towns Insight

Every car trip not taken reduces wear on roads that cost Chicago millions to fix. Walking isn't just good for you — it's fiscal policy.

📣
Level 02 · Getting Louder
Little Bit Bigger
Five minutes can make a difference. These actions send signals that someone is paying attention.
📱
Report on CHI 311 Pothole. Broken light. Cracked sidewalk. Report it → Cities respond to data.
🚳
Report bike lane blockages A car in the bike lane is a safety issue. Bike Lane Uprising → or call 311.
✍️
Sign a petition Local ones matter more than you think. Alders count signatures. Better Streets Chicago →
🛠️
Use a Strong Towns Chicago tool Maps, guides, and resources built for Chicago neighbors. Explore the tools hub →
📤
Share on socials Amplify good urbanist content. Context spreads when people share it.
💸
Donate money Even $5/month funds advocacy. Volunteer orgs run on small donations.
🚴
Bike or Divvy Every trip builds the case for better bike infrastructure in your neighborhood.
🔥
Level 03 · Show Up
Bigger
This is where things start to change. Showing up in person is disproportionately powerful — most people never do it.
☎️
Write or call your alder 5 calls on an issue = your alder thinks it's a movement. Find your alder →
🏘️
Neighborhood assoc. meeting Go once. Bring a friend. You'll know who's running things — and who isn't.
📖
Read an urbanist book Strong Towns, Confessions of a Recovering Engineer, and Escaping the Housing Trap are great starting points.
🙌
Donate your time Volunteer at a local org. Table at a festival. Help run a meeting.
🗓️
Strong Towns Chicago events Attend a local gathering. Meet your people. strongtownschicago.org →
🌙
Ward nights Your alder holds them monthly. Show up. Ask questions. Be known.
👟
Walking audits Walk your block with a checklist. What's missing? What's broken? How to do one →
👋
Get a friend involved The biggest multiplier there is. You joining is good. You + a friend is a movement.
🚗
Share a car Try Zipcar or Turo instead of owning. Less parking demand = more housing + walkability.
⚡ Why it matters: Most neighborhood meetings are dominated by a handful of regulars. If 3–5 new people show up consistently, the entire political calculus of that room shifts.
⚡
Level 04 · Civic Muscle
Biggest
You're not a bystander anymore. You're shaping the decisions — the ones that will outlast all of us.
🪑
Tactical urbanism Paint a crosswalk. Build a parklet. Plant a street tree. Learn how →
💰
Influence how your ward spends its money Learn the budget process and weigh in on what gets funded in your ward. WardWise Chicago →
🏛️
Show up at City Hall Public comment at Chicago City Council. 2 minutes. Your voice on the record, forever.
📋
Zoning committee This is where Chicago housing gets built or blocked. Show up and say yes to density.
🚲
Go car-free! It's possible in more Chicago neighborhoods than you think. You become a living argument for better urbanism.
SHOW UP!
⭐
Level 05 · Superhero Mode
Superhero
You've been showing up. Now it's time to lead. Chicago needs you at the table — not just in the audience.
🗳️
Run for office Chicago aldermanic races are won with 3,000–8,000 votes. You probably know enough people already.
📌
Serve on a board TIF advisory. Zoning board. Planning commission. Seats are often empty. Take one.

Why This All Matters: Strong Towns Principles

1
Cities should grow incrementally — not all at once through massive projects funded by debt.
2
Streets are for people first. Cars are guests — expensive, space-hogging guests.
3
Local knowledge beats top-down expertise. You know your block better than any consultant.
4
A city that can't maintain what it has shouldn't keep expanding. Fix it before you build it.
5
Abundance — of housing, transit, sidewalks — makes cities more resilient and equitable.
6
Failure is information. Small bets that fail teach us more than big ones that waste everything.

"When people show up, they help decide what gets built, what gets funded, and whose ideas move forward. Participation turns possibility into progress."
— Strong Towns Chicago philosophy

Ready to start?
Chicago is waiting.

Pick ONE thing from this zine. Do it this week. Then come back and pick another. That's how movements are built — one person, one action at a time.

strongtownschicago.org CHI 311 → Report It Find Your Alder Ward Newsletters
Strong Towns Chicago Linktree QR Code

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