Introduction

Cities are our future. According to the United Nations (UN), “55% of the world’s population lives in urban areas, a proportion that is expected to increase to 68% by 2050.” That’s about an additional 2.5 billion people worldwide (United Nations 2018). In the United States cities should also be a major point of interest, with 82% of people already living in urban areas as of 2018, and an expected increase to 89% by 2050 (ibid). If cities are our future, it follows that we should invest the time and resources necessary into preparing them to be effective and enjoyable places to live. So far, we haven’t been doing as well as we could.

Well-planned cities and green spaces within them are necessary for the physical and mental health of residents (Lee, Jordan, and Horsley 2015). The UN reports as of 2023, however, that 75% of cities only have 20% or less of their area dedicated to public spaces and streets, while the goal sits at 45-50%. Additionally, in urban areas 1.1 billion people live in slums with estimates that over the next 30 years about 2 billion more will be added to that number (United Nations 2023). In the US specifically, cities face challenges reflective of global issues. Many people struggle to access affordable housing, particularly in recent years (Ludden 2023). For those living in cities without enough green space, rising temperatures lead to heat related health complications (Salcedo 2023). U.S. infrastructure, much of which was built decades ago, is struggling to keep up with the ever-growing economy and its associated strain (McBride, Berman, and Siripurapu 2023). Something has to change.

One of the goals that the UN has proposed to work toward addressing the challenges facing cities is to “enhance inclusive and sustainable urbanization and capacity for participatory, integrated and sustainable human settlement planning and management in all countries” (United Nations 2023). The concept of participatory urban development, or involving the community in urban planning efforts, has been gaining traction in US cities. It requires involvement from both residents (to participate) and urban planners (to facilitate this participation) and can feature initiatives such as participatory budgeting and public forums—meetings where residents can come and offer feedback on changes city leaders and urban planners have proposed. While these initiatives reflect a shift toward more inclusive and democratic urban governance aligning with the UN’s goals for sustainable urbanization, they are not enough. Even if we are able to create effective modes for people to participate in creating better cities, two key challenges stand in the way of these opportunities being utilized by the residents we need to hear from. First, there is the question of whether residents will feel the need to participate in this shaping of their environment—whether they feel a sense of “ownership” over their neighborhoods. Second, there is the question of whether residents will feel that their participation is worthwhile—whether they feel a sense of “trust” in the city. To be able to design inroads for participation that can account for these challenges, we must better define how current residents and urban planners understand these concepts and how they influence current engagement. The aim of this thesis is to explore the perceptions of these ideas and their manifestations, looking closely at the city of Chicago as a useful case study due to its long history as a planned city, clear ward and community area divisions, as well as its recent city-wide planning initiative.

Research Questions

In this study of community-engagement in Chicago, I ask three core research questions:

RQ1: How do demographic characteristics, socio-economic conditions, and geographic boundaries influence patterns of trust and ownership across the city?

RQ2: How do residents and urban planners understand their sense of ownership over their communities, and how does their engagement in shaping the physical aspects of their neighborhood vary as a result?

RQ3: How do residents and urban planners form and establish a sense of trust between one another, and how does this trust or lack thereof influence their participation in shaping the physical aspects of their neighborhood?