Jefferson Park Farmers Market and Jeff Fest
The Good City Group’s presence at local events, such as farmers markets and fairs, allowed conversations with community members, neighborhood organizations, businesses, chambers of commerce and the media. This reinforced our role as a facilitator for the development of local urban projects involving a wide range of participants who gave their input on ways to enhance their neighborhood.
Historically viewed as the “Gateway” to Chicago, both Jefferson Park and Forest Glen neighborhoods were truck farming lands at the edge of the city, on the eastern side of the Indian Boundary Line. Decades worth of urban development, heavy handed infrastructural changes and an increase in population with a rich cultural diversity have all contributed to this area’s unique urban fabric. The Jefferson Park Intermodal Transit Center whose scheduled $25 million renovation is in predesign phase, serves more than 2 million commuters annually and the 38,000 residents living in Jefferson Park and Forest Glen directly. The Last Mile’s timely development offered the residents a platform to make their stories heard, to highlight the community’s landmarks, to reveal transportation patterns and needs.