Center for Neighborhood Technology

Water justice is climate justice. 💧 CNT CEO Nina Idemudia, AICP recently spoke during Chicago Water Week as part of a regional conversation on managing our water future. As climate change intensifies storms, flooding, and infrastructure strain, the choices we make now will shape communities for decades. CNT is proud to bring a justice-centered lens to the table, because resilient systems must be built with and for the people most affected. #ChicagoWaterWeek #WaterJustice #ClimateJustice #Chicago #CNT

🌱Join Chicago’s green infrastructure partners for a presentation and discussion celebrating the launch of the 2026 Green Infrastructure Strategy.🎉 As a critical part of the city’s stormwater solution, this strategy outlines key priorities for advancing equitable, nature-based approaches across Chicago. Attendees will hear highlights from the strategy, learn about its focus on policy, equity, and community impact, and be invited to participate in the public comment period.📢 ⭐Open to community members, advocates, and practitioners interested in the future of water and climate resilience in Chicago. Hosts: Chicago Department of Environment, Friends of the Chicago River, Metropolitan Planning Council, Alliance for the Great Lakes, Little Village Environmental Justice Organization, Openlands, Healthy Schools Campaign, Greater Chatham Initiative, Center for Neighborhood Technology Virtual💻 🗓️Date and Time: Tuesday May 5, from 10am to 11am ooooooo 🌱Acompañe a el grupo de infraestructura verde de Chicago para una presentación y discusión celebrando el lanzamiento de la Estrategia de Infraestructura Verde 2026. 🎉 Como parte fundamental de la solución de la ciudad para el agua pluvial, esta estrategia describe las prioridades clave para avanzar enfoques equitativos y que se basan en la naturaleza en Chicago. Los asistentes escucharán los aspectos más destacados de la estrategia, aprenderán sobre el enfoque en políticas, equidad e impacto comunitario, y serán invitados a participar en el período de comentarios públicos. 📢 ⭐ Abierto a miembros de la comunidad, defensores y profesionales interesados en el futuro del agua y la resiliencia climática en Chicago. *La junta virtual tendrá opcion para traducción en espanol* Anfitriones: Departamento de Medio Ambiente de Chicago, Amigos del Río Chicago, Metropolitan Planning Council, Alliance for the Great Lakes, Little Village Environmental Justice Organization, Openlands, Healthy Schools Campaign, Greater Chatham Initiative, Center for Neighborhood Technology Ubicación: Virtual💻 🗓️Fecha y Hora: Martes 5 de Mayo, de 10 a.m. a 11 a.m.

Chicago moves fast. Our transit story? Even faster. 🚆 Join our CEO Nina Idemudia, AICP and CNT Senior Director Jacky Grimshaw as they unpack where we’ve been, what’s happening now, and what’s ahead for getting around the city. Catch the full conversation on YouTube 🎥 https://bit.ly/4mTG150

If you could fix any policy in Chicago, what would it be? In this episode of @NotesfromChicago , Nina Idemudia (@aplannerwithapurpose ), CEO of the Center for Neighborhood Technology (@cntchicago ), explains how urban planning has shaped Chicago … and how it can be reimagined to create opportunity instead. Tune into ‘How to Fix Chicago’s Housing & Transit Problems’ with Nina Idemudia. Link in bio.🎙️

Today, Brett Chase highlights what homeowners can do to address urban flooding. The challenges are systemic and require community solutions — but it's also true homeowners and residents can use strategies like disconnecting downspouts, adding rain barrels, and rain gardens in their yards to help address these issues on your property. Thanks to Brett and @chicagosuntimes for featuring some of our RainReady tips and lifting up our work to provide communities with actionable data on urban flooding to find solutions and influence policy! /42ush3v3

We're glad to be a part of Nina Idemudia's @aplannerwithapurpose Detroit Activation with Managing Director Justin Romeo leading a session on planning tools and impact frameworks— in good company with @oscarthinks , @my_finansis Chandra Christmas-Rouse of Marie Consulting Group, @anyad.8 , Jordan Miller of @theadelphibank , Jermaine Ruffin of @invest_detroit and Dominique Boyer, Gabrielle Sherrer, Reshonda Williams and Shelby Wyche of Sista City. There's a lot to check out - and it is free to attend with donations requested. More at: tickettailor.com/events/aplannerwithapurpose

Thanks, @brettchasechicago for a great article about flooding in Chicago this weekend! “We felt powerless and helpless,” West Side resident Clabe Johnson tells Brett in yesterday's @chicagosuntimes . This feature highlights the problem, and two solutions: creating more green spaces to help soak up excess water before it reaches the sewers and building more underground infrastructure to capture or divert the water somewhere else. Brett spoke with community residents leading solutions on the South and West sides for this story as well as our team and other experts. tinyurl.com/yc5vnsn4

On Thursday, Cook County Government approved its first-ever Environmental Justice Policy. One of the first such county policies in the country, it was developed with extensive community input. Cyatharine Alias spoke at a news conference to unveil the new policy last week, here are her comments: We are incredibly excited about this policy framework and the way it will change how the county looks at its work to improve the lives of community members. This effort comes after a long process of grassroots community work and deep partnership with community advisory members and an internal working group. It truly required collaboration between staff and community members to make this possible. This committee worked because of the county’s wholehearted commitment, including a compensation process that recognized residents for their time, expertise, and value—helping to build trust and support members as they learned about county processes and navigated issues in their communities. This is a very powerful step, and we are excited to see how this policy framework will be implemented in the years to come. We’re happy and proud to be partners in this work moving forward. Read the full policy here: https://bit.ly/4qBNKpA

Join the Center for Neighborhood Technology staff as our full-time Managing Director of Development and Communications! For consideration please apply now through February 14, at which time we will review submissions and reach out to applicants about next steps. Job description and full details here: /careers-and-opportunities Please help us spread the word about this exciting new role-

Next week we’re presenting on our new accountability frameworks tool to measure community-government collaboration successes at the Crossroads Convening hosted by Union of Concerned Scientists . If you're in DC, check it out— it is free and there may still be a few spots left for the event next Thursday, January 15 at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library. This event brings together bring together transportation scholars, practitioners, advocates, and activists working toward an equitable and just transportation system to share ideas, energy, and connection as we navigate ongoing transportation needs and a shifting political landscape. Learn more and register here: /a/2026-1-15-crossroads-transportation-event

Our board vice chair Bo Kemp asks a tough question in the new Winter 2026 issue of the Stanford Social Innovation Review: "How Will Your Nonprofit Survive?” Dislocated funding due to the Trump administration and other factors is pushing nonprofits to think about the future, he writes, and using his own organization Southland Development Authority and the COVID-19 pandemic as a case study, he shares some practical examples of three approaches: strategic partnerships, mergers, and finding creative ways to build assets/strengthen balance sheets, for example by finding new ways to access working capital. It’s behind a paywall but well worth a read if you’re a subscriber! Congrats, Bo, and thanks for the insight. here's the link: /articles/entry/nonprofits-innovation-strategies

Best wishes for the New Year from Center for Neighborhood Technology! Thank you to all for continued partnership and support. We’re ready to advance equitable, sustainable solutions together 2026.