It will be a 2-for-1 special this Saturday, April 6 at Chicago State when we Illuminate the many, many TIFs inside the 8th and 9th Wards. Join us at 10am. Details and RSVP at Facebook. http://tinyurl.com/
Category: Get Involved
Support Our Application To Knight News Challenge
The CivicLab has launched the TIF Illumination Project to investigate and explain what Tax Increment Finance Districts are doing to Chicago on a ward-by-ward basis.
We are Illuminating TIFs across the city. Citizens are organizing TIF Town Meetings and inviting us to present our research and explanatory graphics about what the TIFs in their community have done and are doing.
We are seeking support from The Knight News Challenge to hire coders, designers and organizers in order to formalize this work which has already spawned three TIF town meetings and have another four on the calendar and another five in the works!
Please review our application and (1) comment, (2) “Applaud” the entry, (3) Pass it on. Thanks!
TIF Illuminators On WVON March 23
TIF Illuminators Tom Tresser and Bea Jasper (organizer of the Englewood TIF Town Meeting) will be on “The GreenPreneur Show” on WVON on Saturday night, March 23, from 5-6pm. Listen live here. The call in number is 773-591-1690. Let’s talk TIFs on the South Side. Our next TIF Town Meeting is in South Shore on March 30. Connect with the TIF Illumination Project.
South Shore TIF Town Meeting
Join us on March 30 as we illuminate the seven TIFs inside the 7th Ward. The details and RSVP are on this Facebook Event page = http://tinyurl.com/
Washington Park TIF Town Meeting Packed!
The Egyptian Room at the Washington Park Field House was SRO this morning as neighbors packed in to participate in the “Let’s Talk TIF in Washington Park” Town Meeting. The TIF Illumination Project was invited to present its research on the six TIFs in the 20th Ward by Washington Park Chamber of Commerce President Donna Smith.
WVON radio host (and former Alderman of the 20th Ward) Cliff Kelley was the emcee.The attendees were highly energized and asked MANY questions. At least three more TIF meetings were generated this morning as people came up and wanted to know how they get Illuminated!
Below are the presentations given by Donna Smith and Tom Tresser (audio = 56 minutes).
Englewood TIF Presentation
Here is our presentation on the four TIFs inside the 6th Ward (66 minutes with audio).
Presentation From TIF Town Meeting
Here is the presentation Tom Tresser gave at the February 12 TIF Town Meeting on the 12 TIFs in the 27th Ward (audio = 23 minutes). The meeting was held at the fabulous Chopin Theatre.
Sound Off At TIF Town Meeting
We’re going to the first community town meeting on TIFs on February 12 at the Chopin Theater! Find out the details and RSVP on Facebook.
Featured Speakers: Ben Joravsky – Award winning political reporter.
Tom Tresser – Citizen activist and civic educator, CivicLab co-founder.
Dr. Richard Dye – Professor at UIC Institute of Government + Public Affairs. (Research finding TIF districts hinder growth)
At the end of 2011 there was $1.39 billion left in TIF bank accounts, yet the City claimed a budget deficit of $636 million at the start of 2012.
The Tax Integrity and Fairness Alliance is hosting a Town Meeting to spread knowledge and demand change on Tuesday, February 12th from 7-9pm, at the Chopin Theatre, 1543 West Division.
Featured Breakout Groups: Citizen Investigation, ‘Become a TIF Illuminator’ with Tom Tresser. Participatory Budgeting, ‘Design Your Own Utopia’ with Sharon Post of Chicago Political Economy Group. Grassroots Organizing, with Steven Serikaku, retired CTU teacher and PDAIL activist. Speak up. Bring your questions!
Download flier = TIF Town Meeting flyer / Download press release = TIF Town Hall press release
Calling All Coders
Calling all coders and web designers. help us conceptualize and build Apps For Activists at this MeetUp on Tuesday, January 15, 2013.
Calling all technologists, coders and designers – let’s meet a few Chicago community organizers and hear about how they work and see if we can build some tools or apps that will SOLVE some recurring problems they have and make their work more effective!
Chicago is the home of modern community organizing and we a hotbed of innovation and tool making. Let’s MIX these traditions and skill sets together to build a set of Apps For Activists that can be easily grabbed used, improved and re-used.
At this MeetUp let’s meet some experienced Chicago organizers and get a sense of how they approach their work. If people are interested in continuing to meet and do a design hack, we can lay the ground work for that effort.
At i c stars, 415 N. Dearborn Avenue, 3rd floor, 6pm to 8pm.
Neighborland – New Tool For Civic Engagement
Check out our space on Neighborland, a new online tool for ginning up ideas and actions for community improvement.
