pilsen smart communities plan v8final

8/8/2019 Pilsen Smart Communities Plan v8Final

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/pilsen-smart-communities-plan-v8final 1/20

Connecting Our CommunitiesM a r c h 2 0 1 0

Pm C mmu P



P C u P

1

he Pilsen neighborhood is one o fve martComm nities in Chicago — a pilot program thataspires to enable ll participation in meaning ldigital activities by ho seholds, b sinesses andinstit tions to increase local knowledge, expand

economic and ed cational opport nities, andenhance connections among residents andb sinesses. he program is a part o the City o Chicago’s Digital xcellence nitiative and isadministered by the ocal nitiatives pportCorporation/Chicago.

he mart Comm nities program serves fvedigitally nderserved comm nities: Pilsen ( owerWest ide), H mboldt Park, and the o thwestPartners comprising b rn Gresham, Chicago

awn and nglewood. ach comm nity has itsown assets and challenges, b t they all share ahistory o working together thro gh the ewComm nities Program, a long-term initiative by

C/Chicago to s pport comprehensive

comm nity development in 16 Chicago neighbor-hoods. mart Comm nities provides a newopport nity to link o r neighborhoods thro ghthe se o technology, b ild sol tions that work in di erent settings, and design and implement

technology sol tions to oster comm nicationand collaboration.

mart Comm nities responds to a major recom-mendation o the ayor’s dvisory Co ncil onClosing the Digital Divide, whose work c lminatedin the 2007 report, The City that NetWorks . he

dvisory Co ncil’s vision is that nternet access,hardware, so tware, ed cation, and mind-setchanges will lead to digital trans ormation. martComm nities will develop a series o pilot projects

to “test how best to convert digital excellenceinto personal and comm nity trans ormation.”

n its report, the dvisory Co ncil identifeddigital excellence drivers that everyone in a

comm nity req ires to lly participate in thenew era o in ormation technology. We begano r work o determining how to oster digitalexcellence in o r comm nities by addressingthese fve drivers:

• Raising awareness/evolving mind-sets thatval e learning, connecting andcomm nicating thro gh technology, and thatrecognize the personal and economicdevelopment opport nities o expanding

nternet participation.• E ective Internet access that is high-speed,

a ordable and available everywhere.• A ordable hardware with capacity to

connect to the nternet and tap into the llrange o its reso rces and suitable software

that meets the needs o individ als, amilies,b sinesses and comm nities.

• Digital education that provides the trainingand technical s pport or sers to becomecom ortable and profcient with technology.

Pilsen: A Smart Community thatBuilds on its TraditionsPilsen’s so rce o pride, or orgullo , is based on a vibrant exican heritage, q ality ho sing, strategic location,and strong local organizations. n 2006, the Pilsen Planning Committee released “Pilsen: Center o exican

i e,” identi ying 32 specifc projects that aim to expand ho sing options or Pilsen residents; b ild a stronger

neighborhood economy; make Pilsen a sel -reliant, amily-oriented comm nity; create a stronger image orPilsen as a historic exican neighborhood; and develop ed cational opport nities or residents o all ages.

http://egov.cityofchicago.org/webportal/COCWebPortal/COC_EDITORIAL/DigitalDivide.pdf





P C u P

2

• Digital programming, skills and content that makes technology relevant and se l to abroad array o sers and improves thein ormation ows into and o t o neighborhoods.

his plan was created rom ideas abo t how tose technology to propel existing q ality-o -li e

strategies and goals that have been defned byPilsen. hro gh exploration, planning meetings,and new reso rces, we have o nd ways to expandaccess to local services, get better connected,enhance o r commercial corridors, and improveed cational opport nities all thro gh the better

se o technology. While we have alreadyexperimented with web sites, yo th training, anddigital art creation, we believe that with a plan inplace, we will be able to achieve o r goals andreach more o o r residents and local b sinesses,expanding opport nities or everyone in Pilsen.

NEI R D AND LEAD A EN yPilsen covers the area between 16 th treet on thenorth, the o th Branch o the Chicago iver tothe so th, the Dan yan xpressway on the east,and Western ven e to the west. ocated o rmiles so th and west o downtown, Pilsen hasexcellent access to transportation and major jobcenters. hanks to decades o organizing, theneighborhood has made s bstantial progress inho sing, K–12 ed cation and economic develop-ment. major comm nity concern today is topreserve Pilsen’s exican c lt ral heritage.

n 1990, six neighborhood parishes came togetherto o nd he es rrection Project ( P), whichgot its start fghting crime and blight. ver thepast two decades, P has developed over 350

nits o a ordable ho sing, helped close over

800 mortgage loans and developed more than41,000 sq are eet o commercial and comm nityspace, leveraging more than $146 million incomm nity reinvestment. s Pilsen’s lead agency

or the ew Comm nities Program, P hasconvened more than a dozen comm nity gro ps

to develop a q ality-o -li e plan or the neighbor-hood and share contin ing responsibility or theplan’s implementation thro gh the Pilsen PlanningCommittee. s bset o Pilsen Planning Committeemembers ormed the Pilsen Planning Gro p toassist in developing a mart Comm nities plan

or the neighborhood.

R AD AND ALLEN E

Fo r o every 10 Chicagoans ace barriers tobroad band access and there ore are limited ornonparticipating sers o the nternet, accordingto the J ly 2009 st dy, Digital Excellence in Chicago . he st dy — cond cted by the university o

llinois at Chicago and the university o owa andcommissioned by the City o Chicago — o ndpartic larly low levels o nternet sage in thefve mart Comm nities and similar neighbor-hoods across the city whose residents are older,

atino, rican- merican, low-income or less

ed cated.

s rvey o residents identifed three primarybarriers to reg lar broadband se:• cost• lack o interest• di c lty o se

Pilsen lags other neighborhoods o Chicago withsimilar demographics in se o technology, likely

d e to lang age barriers or panish-speakers. P’s own grassroots s rvey o parents at Cooper

lementary showed 57 percent o 134 respondentshave comp ters in the home, primarily or theirchildren’s beneft. However, only 40 percent have

ommunity Population2000

urrentroadband

Usage

ResidentsWithout

roadband

Reason:ost

Reason:No Interest

Reason:Difcultto Use

uBu G H 55,928 38% 34,675 49% 41% 35%

CH C G W 61,412 51% 30,092 50% 39% 32%

G W D 40,222 56% 17,698 35% 39% 18%

Hu B D P K 65,836 43% 37,527 53% 33% 29%

P 44,031 38% 27,299 62% 39% 41%

TA LE 1: W y RE IDENT D N’T U E R AD AND INTERNET

http://egov.cityofchicago.org/webportal/COCWebPortal/COC_ATTACH/Digital_Excellence_Study_2009_--_Web.pdf

http://egov.cityofchicago.org/webportal/COCWebPortal/COC_ATTACH/Digital_Excellence_Study_2009_--_Web.pdf



P C u P

3

high-speed nternet access at home. ver 65percent o the respondents said they wo ld beinterested in taking comp ter training classes at

Cooper. ocal planning meetings also identifedprivacy and sec rity concerns or amilies andyo ng children to be a partic lar challenge,especially within the atino comm nity.

his plan provides a roadmap or addressingeach one o these barriers so that Pilsen residentsand b sinesses can take ll advantage o digitalreso rces, rom online city services and socialnetworking to employment opport nities andonline banking. ccess to these reso rces will int rn help make technology another tool in theongoing development o o r comm nities. Wehave p t partic lar emphasis on o treach andtraining to ens re that all amilies and smallb sinesses eel com ortable with technology —bringing the benefts and knowledge directly toresidents and b sinesses in the neighborhood.

he strategies and projects identifedin this doc ment b ild pon Pilsen’s

q ality-o -li e plan, which is available athttp://www.newcomm nities.org/cmadocs/Pilsen_Qo _2006.pd

http://www.newcommunities.org/cmadocs/Pilsen_QofL_2006.pdf






4

L AL PLANNINPilsen’s digital excellence planning incl dedplanning meetings, internal disc ssions among P sta and key partner agencies, and twop blic meetings that bro ght together abo t 40comm nity members and agency representatives.

ead agency sta made special e orts to engage

panish-speakers and members o the b sinesscomm nity in the planning process. he res ltingvision and work plans have distilled concreteprojects rom the ideas, hopes and insights o local residents, b siness owners, yo th and artsprogram sta and vol nteers, librarians,ed cators and other instit tional leaders.

he plan anchors the new strategies on existingpriorities o the 2006 Pilsen q ality-o -li e plan. his plan is m ch more abo t how to achieveexisting strategies than creating new projectsand activities. From the Pilsen Portal to a newFamily et Center, the plan brings the benefts o technology to increase comm nication andservice delivery to residents o Pilsen.

he process began when representatives o mart Comm nities lead agencies, City agencies,

non-proft leaders and private-sector technologyfrms participated in several meetings in Febr ary

and arch 2009 to disc ss the opport nities o the program and provide technical in ormationto participating agencies. hese meetings were

sed to develop dra t vision statements andgoals, identi y key constit encies, defne potential

key corridors or broadband access, and brain-storm opport nities or projects that wo ld meetthe vision and goals.

n ay 18 and J ne 4, Pilsen held two p blicworkshops on digital excellence. he ay 18 echnology own Hall at Casa ichoacan drew30 residents and leaders o small b sinesses,ed cational instit tions and yo th programs.

ter a presentation o the dra t vision and goals,the a dience sel -selected into break-o tsessions to disc ss the digital needs and programpossibilities or key local constit encies: seniors,yo th, small b siness owners and job-seekers.

ns ring nternet accessibility or panish speakerswas a concern across all the breako t gro ps.

n J ne 4, a smaller gro p o local leaders met atWest ide echnical nstit te to disc ss the ideao a Pilsen web portal in greater depth, with aneye toward capitalizing on the pcoming

ational Co ncil o a aza con erence, to beheld in Chicago in late J ly. terwards, P sta and key agency partners took the ideasgenerated at meetings and developed concrete,time-limited projects rom them.

n J ly 21, ayor ichard . Daley held a presscon erence at Centro Familiar G adal panohosted by he es rrection Project in Pilsenanno ncing the City’s digital excellenceprograms, incl ding this planning e ort.

VI I Nn Pilsen, we envision a technological ecosystem

that will ampli y all orms o technologicaltraining — work orce development, arts, c lt ralactivities and commerce — res lting in as stainable system o comm nity and c lt ralpreservation.

Vision and Work Plan

P C u P



P C u P

5

4

6

3

8

1

5

9

2

7

12

10

11

3

5

4

2

1

7

6

3

4

5

2

1

9

8

10

12

11

Pilsen Smart Communities InitiativeCity of Chicago LISC/Chicago New Communities Program



6

TRATE y 1

xpand ho sing optionsor Pilsen residents

ccess to broadband technology is an importantelement to ens re that a ordable ho sing inPilsen provides the in rastr ct re needed toconnect amilies to jobs, ed cation, and training,as well as rein orce social connections bothwithin Pilsen and to amilies and riends in

exico and other parts o Chicago and the u. .ew ho sing sho ld be technology- riendly by

providing broadband access to the home, andexisting ho sing sho ld be pgraded to incorporatebroadband access, o treach and training.

1.1 EN URE NEW A RDA LE U INA R AD AND A E T T E E,

AND T AT ExI TIN A RDA LEU IN I RETR ITTED T PR VIDE

R AD AND A Eon-proft developers o a ordable ho sing

sho ld not have to choose between additionalcosts or fber cond it vers s other b ildingamenities. Projects s ch as Casa orelos arewired or broadband, b t the residents o all newa ordable ho sing sho ld have the sameopport nities or broadband at an a ordablelevel. F nding is needed to s pport technology

pgrades to enable this access. esidents o a ordable ho sing need the nternet or accessto reso rces s ch as jobs, training, and ed cationand sho ld not have to stretch their pocketbooksto pay or access to the home.

imilarly, nds are needed to retroft existinga ordable ho sing, s ch as the 201 nits owned

and managed by he es rrection Project orbroadband access, s ch as Wi-Fi, point-to-pointwireless, or fber access.

TRATE y 2

Build a strongerneighborhood economy echnology is a tool to rein orce Pilsen’s economicdevelopment strategies, incl ding enhancingcommercial and ind strial districts, expandingaccess to employment, and attracting economicdevelopment to Pilsen.

2.1 LI T UP ER IAL RRID RWIT R AD AND

ordable, high-speed broadband access ispartic larly needed or small- to mid-sizeb sinesses and m lti- amily ho sing alongcommercial corridors. he density o b sinessesand ho sing makes a b siness case or new,

fber-level or point-to-point wireless services(in addition to Wi-Fi or p blic access) to beprovided along major commercial corridors,incl ding 18 th treet, shland, Cermak, andWestern ven e in Pilsen.

Strategies and Projects he mart Comm nities Plan is based on the premise that providing access to the nternet is not eno gh.

ccess + o treach + training are all essential ingredients to s ccess l adoption in the home, at work, or at yo rlocal organization. We have identifed the ollowing set o new projects that will help implement the strategiesidentifed in o r 2006 q ality-o -li e plan:

P C u P



P C u P

7

2.2 TE KI K o rther technology access or nderservedpop lations, nternet kiosks sho ld be placed ataccessible and pop lar sites in Pilsen. Kiosks willbe hardwired to online reso rces and applicationsvia the comm nity portal, o ering comm nityin ormation, employment reso rces and otherin ormation, and potentially general nternetaccess. hey will also serve as a wireless connection

or Wi-Fi and Bl etooth devices or people withlaptop comp ters or mobile devices. Kioskssho ld be placed in high-tra c locations,especially those in which people who do nothave comp ters at home may be going. on-

proft locations sho ld incl de nstit to Progresoatino and es rrection Project. Kiosks, whether

temporary or permanent, sho ld also be placedin locations to attract c stomers and help visitorsand to rists, s ch as at the 18 th treet and Damen

ven e C stations.

2.3 U INE RE UR E ENTER he heart o Pilsen is the small b sinesscomm nity — rom resta rants to art-relatedb sinesses to a range o man act rers. any o these b sinesses need direct technologys pport — rom training to certifcations. heyneed a lly-eq ipped comp ter reso rcecenter — with new hardware, so tware andpresentation eq ipment — designed to meetthe needs o small b sinesses to cond ct gro ptraining, assessments and one-on-one coaching.

n Pilsen, these services sho ld be provided byighteenth treet Development Corporation

and llinois Hispanic Chamber o Commerce. Forexample, comp ters, a projector and so twareare needed at he Hispanic ntreprene rial echnology Center (H C) at the llinois HispanicChamber o Commerce Pilsen site. mall b siness

owners will receive training, choosing amongtopics like o ce prod ctivity programs,acco nting and fnancial management tools, anddesktop p blishing, as well as social networkingsites. ll training will be available in panish; a

niq e component will incl de classes related toentreprene rship. treach will be provided toassist b sinesses in creating web sites andgetting connected to the new Pilsen Portal( ee trategy 3).

2.4 REATE A A ILyNET ENTER RTRAININ AND A E he employment training and placementservices by the nstit to del Progreso atinosho ld be expanded thro gh the creation o aFamily et Center to enhance employment andskill-matching and job skills s ch ascertifcations. q ipped with 10 or more moderncomp ter workstations or ad lts and children(incl ding kid- riendly workstations) andhigh-speed nternet connections, the newFamily et Center will become a central point o

digital access and learning in Pilsen and connectpeople with skills and jobs. Beca se the newFamily et Center is connected to the Center orWorking Families at the nstit to, participantswill have b ilt-in access to a variety o employment, fnancial ed cation, and otherservices. he Family et Center will o er accessto ed cational programs, s ch as verydayDigital and Civic 2.0 (see trategy 5), b t alsoprovide hands-on training sessions in specifc

skills and certifcations. By adding new comp tercapacity, higher broadband speeds, trained sta ,and expanded weekday and weekend ho rs, theFamily et Center will be able to serve over 600individ als per year.

2.5 L AL A INITy ARKETIN ocal nity arketing program will provide

Pilsen residents with a nity cards similar tothose available thro gh the major s permarkets,which can be sed by cons mers to accessspecial o ers and sales while also providingaggregated data on shopping habits to localb sinesses. r program will create a plat ormthat allows a n mber o local b sinesses to sharethe system, thereby lowering cost o entry andallowing local b sinesses to target c stomersmore e ciently (while also maintaining strongprivacy protections). ighteenth treetDevelopment Corporation will s pplement its

co pon book program with an electronic versionthat will be available on www.pilsenportal.org.

conc rrent program will create site advertisingand special disco nts specifcally aimed at localresidents to promote local b sinesses to thecomm nity. local shoe store co ld send amailer or a back-to-school sale to a list o anyonewho bo ght children’s clothing or toys at localstores, or example, and a resident who reg larlyp rchases dinner at a local resta rant co ld beo ered a disco nt on the l nch special via email. ogether, the elements o the ocal nitycampaign wo ld drive economic growth both bymaking shopping locally more attractive orcons mers and by helping local frms nderstandtheir markets more completely.

2.6 UILD T E APA ITy L ALIN RITy AND W EN WNED IR

T PR VIDE TE UPP RTs technology moves into people’s homes and

b sinesses, there will be an even greater need ortechnical s pport. here is an opport nity tob ild the capacity and demand or minority- and



8

women-owned b sinesses to meet the demandor a ordable technical s pport in o r

comm nities. By aggregating demand o localresidents, non-proft organizations, and smallb sinesses, local tech s pport frms can thrive ino r comm nities. he es rrection Project and aprivate frm sho ld develop a partnership toprovide these needed services. he provider willnot only o er tech s pport to the comm nity,b t will provide work orce development bytraining residents in + certifcation, theentry-level credential or a career in technicals pport. n addition, local minority and women-owned frms sho ld be provided opport nities

to participate in contracts or b ilding o tbroadband networks in the comm nity.

2.7 U E TE N L y A AN EN INE RE N I DEVEL P ENTGreater technology skills and higher levels o broadband availability in o r commercialcorridors and at the Pilsen Planned an act ringDistrict (P D) will enco rage existing b sinessesto expand and to attract new “high bandwidth”ind stries that create high skill jobs — romartists and tech frms to o r commercial corridorsto man act rers that need high speeds toconnect to their s ppliers and c stomers or thePilsen P D. We need to make s re that fber isavailable to b sinesses in the P D that needhigh bandwidth at an a ordable level.

TRATE y 3

ake Pilsen a sel -reliant, amily orientedcomm nityPilsen will lead a broadband adoption campaign

sing grassroots o treach and ser- riendlytrainings and incentives to excite people abo tthe benefts o technology — rom the localresta rant on 18 th treet coming on-line or the

frst time to engaging yo th and seniors thro gha new comm nity portal. he projects listedbelow will help implement strategies in the 2006q ality-o -li e plan incl ding: enhance the role o schools and ch rches as centers o comm nityli e, social programs and amily services; andcatalog, coordinate and improve local programs.

3.1 TE UTREA A PAI N

n o treach campaign is needed to comm nicatewith people online and thro gh traditionalmeans. he goal is to reach everyone in thecomm nity. he strategies were developedbased on s rvey res lts, comm nity meetings,and oc s gro ps cond cted or this project.

ech rganizer will coordinate the activities,bringing residents, non-proft organizations,ch rches, and schools into new technologies. he organizer will se pilsenportal.org, veryday

Digital, Civic 2.0 and good, old- ashioned door-to-door o treach to make s re everyone in Pilsen isaware o tools that are available to rein orce theneighborhood’s connections and the strength o its amilies and local organizations.

3.2 PIL ENP RTAL. R the traditional tool o the organizer is a list o

names and a clip board, the high tech version is acomm nity portal that serves as the window tothe neighborhood, the virt al telephone linesconnecting people, the neighborhood news site,and center or blogs, web sites, and in ormation,all in one. Pilsenportal.org ( www. pilsenportal.org )was established d ring the planning process asan early action project, p tting the idea to testin the feld. his neighborhood-created and-managed web site provides an online place orresidents, b siness owners and others to postcalendar items, directory listings, photos, stories

and comments abo t their comm nity. Beca sepilsenportal.org enco rages all organizationsand residents to post material and comment onit, it is likely to attract s bstantially more niq evisitors than existing web sites created by singleorganizations in the neighborhoods. hose sites,in Pilsen, nglewood and b rn Gresham,attract rom 3,000 to 6,000 niq e visitors perq arter (Google nalytics, ay thro gh J ly 2009).

3.3 ARKETIN A PAI N comm nity- oc sed marketing frm will provide

ongoing services to expand awareness o thecampaign thro gh a mix o nglish and panishlocal media in Pilsen s ch as Contra Tiempo and

adio rte and citywide media o tlets s ch asxtra and Hoy and a Q e B ena 105.1 F ,

univision Channel 66 and elem ndo Channel44. n addition we will involve local blogs s ch as amale Chica and r Pilsen. he goal o this

campaign is to reach nearly every resident o Pilsen thro gh m ltiple media ven es. We willalso consider advertising tho gh o tlets s ch asthe C b s system and CD advertising in C‘ ’ stations to provide biling al marketing

P C u P

http://pilsenportal.org/

http://pilsenportal.org/



P C u P

9

18th

DamenWestern

Ashland

Halsted

Rud y LozanoLibrar y

Harrison Park

W e s t e r n

A v e .

D a m e n

A v e .

A s h l a n

d A v e .

R a c

i n e

A v e .

H a l s t e d S t .

16th St.

18th St.

Cullerton St.

Cermak Rd.

24th St.

26th St.

B l u e I s l a

n dA v e

.

3 1 s tS t.

S t e v e n s

o nE x p y.

D a n

R y a n

E x p y .

B l u e

I s l a n

dA v e

.

Barrett Park

Baraga Park

Throop Park

Dvorak Park

West SideTechnical Institute

Instituto del ProgressoLatino WorkNet Chicago

Instituto del ProgressoLatino FamilyNet Center

Ruiz School

De La Cruz School

Finkl School Alivio Medical Center

Whittier School

Pickard School

St. Paul Our Lady of Vilna

Fire Station E2325 Ward Yard

Orozco School

The Resurrection Project

WalshSchool

Pros ArtsStudio

Jungman School

18th St Development CorpBusiness Resource Center

Manuel Perez School

DigitalYouth Network

PilsenSchool

St. ProcopiusElementarySchoolPilsen Workforce Center

Lower West SideNeighborhood Health Clinic

Cooper School

Benito JuarezHigh School

St. Pius V School

UnoBartolome School

Fire Station E28

StrategiesMap

Pilsen Smart Communities InitiativeCity of Chicago LISC/Chicago New Communities Program

° Feet0 600 1,200

School

September 23, 2009Source: City of Chicago; LISC; Teska Associates, Inc.

Family NetCenter

Commercial CorridorBusiness Outreach

Fire Station

p~©

Library

Neighborhood Resource

Pilsen PlanningDistrict Boundary

Planned ManufacturingDistrict Business Outreach



P C u P

10

materials to enco rage all Pilsen residents to getonline and leverage pilsenportal.org and otherreso rces.

3.4 PR VIDE ARDWARE, TWARE ANDTRAININ T L AL R ANIzATI N T

UILD T EIR APA ITyHardware and so tware will be provided asincentives to individ als and comm nity organi-zations to take ll advantage o broadbandtechnologies.

Neighborhood Use — Comp ters are needed at

the new Family et Centers or se by participantsin classes and workshops and or drop-in sersd ring open-comp ter times.

ommunit rgani ation Use — o s ppor theavier se o the nternet and high-bandwidthtools, additional eq ipment, laptops andappropriate so tware sho ld be deployed at leadagencies, other partner organizations andexisting comm nity technology centers.

igh-Tech Loaner Program — Develop a loanerprogram or specialized hardware (video eq ipment,scanners, etc.) and a system to keep the specializedeq ipment maintained and p-to-date.

ree oftware Workshops — Hold workshopsto raise awareness o the availability o q ality

ree and open so rce so tware.

3.5 PR VIDE ARDWARE T RE IDENT AND

ALL U INE E A IN ENTIVE RTRAININ AND TE N L y AD PTI N o enco rage individ als and amilies to se the

nternet every day, we will create an incentiveprogram that provides re rbished or new

eq ipment to individ als who complete trainingprograms at the Family et Center at nstit to delProgreso atino and the B siness eso rce

Centers at the Hispanic Chamber. he programsho ld be based on the experiences o Digibridge and involve organizations s ch asPros rts t dio. Personal Use — Free distrib tion o re rbisheddesktop and notebook comp ters will be sed asincentives by comm nity gro ps to enco rageyo th and ad lts to participate in and grad ate

rom m ltiple-session training programs. nitially,we plan on sec ring reso rces or distrib ting 50

netbooks, and 250 re rbished comp ters asincentives. hey will be distrib ted only a terparticipants have completed a series o trainingsand shown a s stainable interest in se o technology tools or services.

usiness Use — Grad ates o rigoro s b sinesstraining programs sho ld receive a mid- tohigh-end re rbished laptop or desktop capable

o core b siness nctions with a goal o 100re rbished machines in Pilsen.

3.6 EALT EDU ATI N AND UTREAWe will work with livio edical Center toprovide greater in ormation on prevention o illnesses that hit o r comm nity partic larlyhard — rom diabetes to asthma and bloodpress re. While there are many website reso rces

in the p blic domain, we need acc rate, localin ormation that people can tr st, and links toreliable reso rces in o r comm nity and online.



P C u P

11

TRATE y 4

Create a stronger imageo Pilsen as a vibrant,attractive comm nity echnology sho ld be sed to rein orce thesense o place in Pilsen, making the area one o the most connected in Chicago and across theco ntry. he comm nity already has theconcentration o b sinesses, residents, schools,ch rches and local organizations. We have madeprogress in neighborhood identity projects s chas m rals and p blic plazas. We are workingtoward special p blic places s ch as l Paseo on

angamon treet and l Zocolo at 18 th treet andPa lina. he comm nity has sed websites top blicize neighborhood estivals, reaching

amilies and riends in exico. We need to makes re that o r p blic places are wired ortechnology and accessible or all o o r residents.

4.1 ExPAND R AD AND AT PU LIPUTIN ITE

o bring a ordable broadband access closer toall residents in o r comm nity, we will work withp blic and private partners to develop a network o comp ter-access sites and wireless hotspotsthro gho t Pilsen. hese services will be createdand promoted by tr sted local partners and willbe ree or a ordable. n addition to bringing

broadband to the home in all a ordable ho sing,new centers are needed at strategic locationsincl ding comp ter labs at Casa aravilla (seniorho sing), and t. Pi s and t. Pa l parishes and allother local ch rches, expanding access to seniors

and ch rch members. ome o these parishesand ch rches still rely on dial- p services — theywill need access and training to make s re theyare connected to the broader comm nity,reaching people who may not otherwise go intoa comp ter lab. We also need to pgrade someo o r sites and so tware to ens re that they areaccessible to persons with disabilities.

4.2 A K NE I ER NETW RKPilsen will enco rage and s pport the City o Chicago’s e orts to increase very high-speedfber-optic connectivity with p blic-sector

instit tions serving as h bs, incl ding freho ses,police stations, libraries, park feld ho ses,comm nity colleges and p blic schools. Fiber isneeded to provide advanced services, video, andvirt ally nlimited data capability. C rrent

nternet capacity in o r comm nity limits theapplications needed to spark comm nityrenewal. s part o the mart Comm nitiesplanning process o r team recommended the

ollowing locations that co ld make a partic larlyhigh-impact with advanced broadband: West

ide echnical nstit te, ozano Chicago P blicibrary, Harrison Park, Benito J arez High chool

and rozco Comm nity cademy. ver time, allo o r schools sho ld have access to fberin rastr ct re to enable the latest advances o technology to be available to all o o r children.

4.3 WI I NETW RKn addition to providing broadband to b sinesses

and residents along commercial corridors s ch as18th treet and shland and Western aven es,Wi-Fi access is needed in p blic plazas, incl ding

l Paseo along angamon treet and l Zocoloadjacent to the 18 th treet C station. Wi-Fi

mesh network or comm nity organizations isalso needed so that local non-profts have accessto the nternet or sta and p blic se.

4.4 INTERNATI NAL INTERNETNNE TI N

Casa ichoacan (Pilsen site o the Federation o ichoacan Cl bs in llinois, or F D C ) will

create a network o kype-enabled nternetaccess points both in Pilsen and in local sites inthe exican state o ichoacan, giving immigrantsgreater ability to stay in contact with their lovedones in their towns o origin. F D C hasalready donated 200 comp ters to Zinapéc aro,

ichoacan to create labs or the comm nitythere. Both Pilsen and Zinapéc aro tech labs willneed webcams to enable ll se o kype.

TRATE y 5

Develop ed cational

opport nities orresidents o all agesWe view learning abo t the possibilities andcapacities o in ormation technology as a processthat cannot be limited to one age gro p orpop lation. r goals or digital profciencyincl de ed cation, especially or o r yo th andsenior residents, training that meets the needs o small b sinesses and their potential employees,

and technical s pport to ens re comp tersremain operational and well- sed. We arecommitted to providing training that meets theneeds o both o r nglish- and panish-speakingcomm nity members.



P C u P

12

5.1 y UT EDIA TR AININ AND DI I TALy UT NETW RKPros rts t dio c rrently o ers yo th training invideo editing, digital photography and websitecreation. Pros rts t dio and neighborhoodschools (p blic and private) will partner to bringthese programs to more st dents in middle andhigh school. s a part o pilsenportal.org,biling al video t torials will be created toed cate cons mers on how to b y a comp ter,how to save money by sing ree so tware, etc. he videos will be developed by the martComm nities Project anager and cons ltants,possibly incl ding yo th video prod cers and

coordinated with Pros rts t dio.

We will also tap into the university o Chicago’surban d cation nstit te or its expertise indeveloping the Digital Yo th etwork model andpilot the program in Pilsen at rozco Comm nity

cademy. his innovative program engagesyo th in the creation o content — providingboth access and skills training. nstr ctors haveexperience working with local yo th on spokenword, written, video, m ltimedia and socialnetworking content, and will know how to sethe latest so tware or techniq es to showcasest dent work in a variety o online ven es.

5.2 DEVEL P “ IVI 2.0” PR RAR UNITy LEADER

xperienced comm nity organizers with weband social-networking skills will teach co rsesdesigned or comm nity leaders, covering how

to se web tools or civic engagement andcomm nity b ilding. he leaders in t rn will passon the skills at the block cl b and comm nityorganization levels. he program will be biling aland topics will incl de se o : transit maps and

B s racker (incl ding mobile applications);C path, the Chicago Police sa etyin ormation database; immigration rights andservices; City o Chicago web services; andpilsenportal.org and organization websites.

5.3 PR VIDE TRAININ IN EVERyDAyDI ITAL U EWe will develop new c rric l m and tap intoexisting workshop o erings to train residents onwhat they need to se technology everyday.Workshops will help residents learn tools s ch asonline bill-paying and fnancial so tware;

Facebook and other social networks; onlinecommerce; o ce so tware incl ding GoogleDocs; photo sharing (Flickr); video (Yo be);blogging; s pervision o nternet se by children;and se o kype or ree long-distance calls.

5.4 NLINE TE TRAININ AND E LLA Expand nstit to del Progreso atino’s existing

ad lt distance learning program thro gh whichst dents can learn nglish as a econd ang ageand how to se icroso t ce so tware.

dditional loaner laptops and so tware areneeded or people who don’t already havecomp ters at home. dditional sta ng needswill be met by hiring local teachers.

5.5 DI ITAL U ER JB ilding on the a ter-school program model, and

o r comm nities’ experience providing s mmeryo th employment, we will work with localyo th-serving organizations, the City o Chicagoand b siness partners to develop an eight-week paid s mmer job that exposes yo th rom the

Digital Yo th etwork to employment oppor-t nities in the technology ind stry and b ildstheir res me and skill set. nstit to del Progreso

atino helped employ over 100 children in thes mmer o 2009.

5.6 y U EDIABased on gro ndbreaking research that o ndthat yo th tend to se comp ters to hang o twith riends, tinker with digital media, and “geek o t” in online gro ps, the Chicago P blic ibrary

o nded Yo edia to help yo th rther explorethese core interests. F nded in part by the

ac rth r Fo ndation, the program is nowavailable only downtown at the Harold Washington

ibrary, b t sho ld be expanded to neighbor-hood libraries, s ch as dy ozano in Pilsen.

5.7 W RK P N INTERNET E URITy o address concerns regarding personal and

amily privacy and sec rity, residents havereq ested trainings on nternet sec rity. hetraining sho ld be incorporated into existingprograms provided on a reg lar basis, as well aso ered as stand-alone workshops. hese work-shops wo ld teach people to avoid nternetscams, keep children sa e online, cond ct onlinefnancial transactions sa ely, etc.



P C u P

13

arly investment in Pilsen and the other o rmart Comm nities has already leveraged

signifcant res lts. he llinois Department o Commerce and conomic pport nity, C/Chicago and the ac rth r Fo ndation providedmore than $800,000 in seed capital to s pportplanning, sta ng and early implementation o the mart Comm nities plans. n ret rn, all fvecomm nities completed their plans, la nchedearly action projects incl ding www.pilsenportal.org, ,and have received print, nternet andtelevision coverage o this gro ndbreaking work.

icroso t has been an early leader by providingso tware grants to seven organizations in Pilsen2009. We are confdent that other o ndationand private sector partners will see the val e inproviding new eq ipment, so tware and trainingto o r non-proft partners who connect tho sandso residents daily to ed cation, jobs, servicesand b sinesses.

echnology planning was well nderway inmid-2009 when the u. . Department o Commerce anno nced that it wo ld distrib tes bstantial nding nationwide thro gh a newBroadband echnology pport nities Program

(B P) nded by the merican ecovery andeinvestment ct.

hro gh the digital excellence partnershipbetween the City o Chicago and C/Chicago,Pilsen and the other mart Comm nities werethe oc s o the City’s B P application nderthe category o stainable Broadband

doption. t was anno nced earlier this year thatthe program wo ld receive $7.07 million in

ederal ecovery ct nds. he grant willprovide comp ters and training to more than

11,000 Chicago residents and 500 smallb sinesses and nonprofts in H mboldt Park,Pilsen, b rn Gresham, Chicago awn and

nglewood, with the hope o helping tho sandso Chicago residents and b sinesses emerge

rom the recession stronger than be ore.

ltho gh sec ring B P nding was a h gestep orward in exec ting this plan, the llbreadth o o r vision incl des projects that will

not be s pported by the ederal program. naddition to the B P nding, Pilsen will seek s pport rom other o ndations andcorporations or this plan. We believe that we willbe s ccess l in raising the necessary nds

beca se the plan is based on strong comm nityinp t, so nd approaches and realistic goals, andit rein orces o r existing plans and strategies.

Next: Launch Projects to Reach GoalsPilsen will achieve digital excellence when residents, b sinesses and instit tions in the neighborhood have

high-speed nternet access, p-to-date hardware and so tware, and amiliarity with and knowledge o technology. ll o the projects in this plan will help meet long-standing goals o the comm nity.



14

ConclusionPilsen has been a leader in a ordable ho sing, the arts, ed cation, and retention o ind stry. ts strategic

location and rich history make it the per ect candidate or a mart Comm nity. r residents and comm nityleaders are excited by the possibilities that 21 st cent ry in ormation technology holds, rom strengthening tiesamong ar- ng amilies to new opport nities or entreprene rship. We have accelerated the process byla nching pilsenportal.org and refning it each day. We want to do more than access content. We will create

content, contin ing o r legacy o opening p opport nities or all residents. he possibilities and planso tlined above are a bl eprint to achieve digital excellence in o r neighborhood and take advantage o a newset o tools to improve Pilsen’s q ality o li e.

P C u P



P C u P

15



PIL EN PLANNIN R UP AND PLANNINPARTI IPANTPilsen Planning roup• David Betlejewski, ighteenth treet

Development Corporation• aria Codina, rt ro Velasq ez West ide

echnical nstit te

• scar De a orre, Gads Hill• om D bois, nstit to del Progreso atino• ario Gonzalez, Pilsen eighbors• Jaime G zman, he es rrec tion Project• lheli Herrera, Federacion de Cl bes

ichoacanos• Benny orten, t. nn Catholic chool• Gerardo odrig ez, llinois Hispanic Chamber

o Commerce• lvia odrig ez, Pros rts t dios• Vicente anchez, 2 5th Ward P blic ervice ce

Planning Participants• ichael Baker, Chicago P blic ibrary• sa ro Barrera, Pilsen resident• Daniel B ys, Pilsen resident• Clarisse Crotea -Chonka, Digital Work orce

d cation ociety• aria Codina, rt ro Velasq ez West ide

echnical nstit te• Cla dio Cortes, resident/small b siness owner

• J ana Cortes, Pilsen resident

• Jorge Cesto , he es rrec tion Project• scar de la orre, Gads Hill Center• J lia scamilla, livio edical Center• Jeanette Galicia, he es rrec tion Project• l redo Gamez, Pilsen resident• ig el G evara, nstit to del Progreso atino• Hector Hernandez, Chicago P blic ibrary,

ozano Branch• lheli Herrera, Casa ichoacan• J lian azalde, Pilsen eighbors• Yvette eigh, Chicago P blic ibrary• Benny orton, t. nne Catholic chool• lvaro bregon, he es rrec tion Project• li rozco, Pilsen resident• ndrew Pincon, Digibridge• rt ro Pintor, Pilsen resident• David Pintor, he es rrection Project• dgardo eyes, Pilsen resident• ilvia ivera, adio rte/W 90.5 F• ntonia odrig ez, livio edical Center• Gerardo odrig ez, llinois Hispanic Chamber

o Commerce• lvia odrig ez, Pros rts t dios• arty anchez, livio edical Center• ric chwister, t. Pi s Parish• ike hompson, Casa ztlan• arai inares, Casa zltan• Victor Viz eta, nstit to del Progreso atino

LI / I A• sana Vasq ez, Director, ew Comm nities

Program• Gordon Walek, Comm nications anager

ITy I A• Hardik Bhatt, Chie n ormation cer,

Department o nnovation & echnology• Danielle D erer, Project anager,

Department o nnovation & echnology• atthew G il ord, Program anager, Digital

xcellence and nnovation, Department o nnovation & echnology

• ayor’s ce

RI E AND PLANNER• Patrick Barry, enior cribe• cott Goldstein, eska ssociates, nc.• a reen Kelleher, cribe• delheid ers, rt nstit te o Chicago• ario rtega, eska ssociates, nc.

PR RA AND PLANNIN UPP RT• City o Chicago• tate o llinois Department o Commerce and

conomic pport nity• C/Chicago• icroso t Corporation

• John D. and Catherine . ac rth r Fo ndation

Leadership

P C u P

16



P C u P

17

A UT T E NEW UNITIE PR RAThe New communities Program (NcP) is a long-term initiative by LISc/chi ago to support omprehensive ommunity development in 16 chi ago neighborhoods.

The nation’s largest demonstration of omprehensive ommunity development, NcP has delivered substantial and visible neighborhood improvements a ross the ity thanks to a 10-yearfunding ommitment from the Ma rthur Foundation. LISc/chi ago has invested more than $50 million in grants and loans in the NcP neighborhoods, supporting more than 500 di erentproje ts ranging from healthy-lifestyle initiatives and youth sports leagues to retail and a ordable housing development. Thousands of residents and hundreds of ommunityorganizations have been involved through NcP.

The NcP model is that ea h e ort be led by a neighborhood-based lead agen y that oordinates programs among other lo al organizations and itywide support groups. Lead agen iesare en ouraged to forge partnerships with other non-pro t groups, businesses, government and residents to address issues su h as a ordable housing, prisoner re-entry, ulturalprogramming, edu ation reform, ommunity marketing and open spa e.

Smart communities builds upon the NcP platform and on the quality-of-life plans prepared by ea h ommunity. The plans have been steered by lo al lead agen ies that have a resume of “getting it done” and grassroots onne tions to the ommunities they serve. It in orporates proje t ideas from those plans and identi es new tools and te hniques to implement long-standing ommunity development goals.

A UT T E DI ITAL Ex ELLEN E INI TIATIVEThe Digital Ex ellen e Initiative aims to make chi ago a global leader in the appli ation of te hnology to in reasing e onomi ompetitiveness, strengthening ommunities and improvin

lives. Guided by the work of the Mayor’s dvisory coun il on closing the Digital Divide, the initiative fosters deployment of broadband infrastru ture, publi a ess to te hnology and newinsights into digital parti ipation and needs. The initiative is managed by the city of chi ago Department of Innovation and Te hnology and is supported by a range of private se tor, non-pro t and governmental partners.

The 2007 city That Networksreport and the 2009Digital Excellence in Chicagostudy are available atwww. ityof hi ago.org/digitalex ellen e

PIL EN ART UNITIE PLAN REDITCopy:Maureen Kelleher, S ott GoldsteinPhotos: lex Fledderjohn (front over, inside front over), Eri Young Smith (page 3, page 13, page 15)Design: Tuan Do Graphi DesignChicago Digital Excellence Logo: delheid Mers, sso iate Professor, The rt Institute of chi ago

http://egov.cityofchicago.org/city/webportal/portalEntityHomeAction.do?entityName=Wireless&entityNameEnumValue=153




1 . a alle t., 12 th Floor

Chicago, llinois 60602312.360.0800www.lisc-chicago.orgwww.newco nities.org

City of Chicago

50 W. Washington t., ite 2700Chicago, 60602www.cityofchicago.org/digitalexcellence

http://www.lisc-chicago.org/home.aspx

http://www.newcommunities.org/



http://www.newcommunities.org/

http://www.lisc-chicago.org/home.aspx

pilsen smart communities plan v8final

Documents