Mapping Stormwater Infrastructure Investment in Chicago

Presentation Type: Lightning Talk (5 minutes)

Skill Level: Beginner, Intermediate

Intended Audience: GIS User, Student, Other

Abstract

In Chicago, a city which is uniquely affected by urban flooding due to a number of complex factors, residents and businesses in South Side and West Side communities are disproportionally burdened by stormwater damage relative to other community areas. However, city initiatives which seek to address the deluge such as the Green Alley program are often most concentrated in areas which are not where the issue of flooding is most intensely in need of amelioration. This study investigates the distribution of stormwater infrastructure funds across Chicago’s neighborhoods, with the aim of elucidating where the city funding is flowing, and how investment inequities are connected to exacerbation of flooding.

Presenter(s)

Elyse Cooke

Research Assistant, Illinois Institute of Technology