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After a process that took over a year, the City Council voted Monday night to accept the final report of the Evanston Environmental Equity Investigation.
The city commissioned the consulting firm MKSK, Inc, in September 2024 to conduct the study. It broadly recommended designating large swaths of the 2nd, 5th and 8th wards as “green zones” — census tract-focus areas that were determined to have systematic disadvantages based on lower household incomes and disparities in life expectancy.
"Everyone is incredibly thankful for your hard work and MKSK is very grateful for your partnership. We look forward to working again on many more future efforts together."
The reports other recommendations included:
Consultant Brett Weidl of MKSK at the city’s environmental equity investigation workshop in April. Credit: Matthew Eadie
During the meeting’s public comment section, several environmental activists urged the city to actively engage with the report’s recommendations, with some asking for a public update in six months, and for the city to hire an equity manager to oversee the implementation of the recommendations. That position has been left vacant since the end of 2023.
“Our greatest fear is that this report is going to be filed and then forgotten,” said Jack Jordan, the executive director of Climate Action Evanston.
MKSK consultant Brett Weidl said the report provided guidance to turn the recommendations into reality, that would ultimately require collaboration, prioritization, capacity building and monitoring.
“In moving the needle from injustice to equity, it will require collaborative participation and accountability from many parties,” she told council members.
Council members seemed receptive to those calls to action.
But Ald. Krissie Harris (2nd) warned that plans need to take into consideration the city’s budget crisis. The general fund balance is on pace to be in the red by next year, without larger property tax increases or other new revenue.
“We really need to put money behind this work, it isn’t going to happen necessarily without financial support,” she said. “We can still do the things that we can without money, but the budget implications were really important in there.”
Ever wonder why the most significant and negative environmental impacts tend to effect certain community populations, races, or income-levels more than others? We wanted to find out!
We’re currently wrapping up an innovative and pioneering study with the City of Evanston called the Evanston Environmental Equity Investigation. MKSK and planning collaborators, Brian H. Hurd, MaryAnn Taylor Crate, & Yolanda Bouchee have partnered with the City & Community Members to uncover how Evanston’s physical environment has shaped positive, negative, and even unseen impacts to personal health and well-being.
"It was a pleasure being part of this project. I enjoyed working with residents and community leaders to uncover how past policies and practices shaped current conditions and then helping to develop a path forward and identify potential remedies to address some of the unforeseen impacts."
Read more about how this study will shape the future of equity in the City of Evanston well into the future and how a study like this may be more applicable to your own city than you may think! https://lnkd.in/gud-SXsr – Brett Weidl, Principal | MKSK
Added Dimension is the proud recipient of the 2024 Outstanding Plan Award for our work on the Imagine Jamestown Mall Market Analysis and Feasibility Study. The Award was presented by the Missouri Chapter of the American Planning Association:
By My Ly, Evanston Roundtable July 17th, 2025
The rising cost of housing, air pollution, uneven tree distribution and street sewers that create flooding were the primary concerns voiced by residents in Evanston and addressed Wednesday evening by an environmental equity team.
Formed in October, the city’s Environmental Equity Investigation team held a third workshop at the Levy Senior Center to address equity issues submitted by dozens of participants over the past few months.
One attendee, Lisa Page, lifelong Evanston resident, said she appreciated the group’s efforts, as someone who grew up in the Second Ward and now lives in the Eighth Ward.
“As a child, I felt like whenever I went to different areas and saw other homes and nice lawns and thought why is our house so different?” Page said.
Page’s childhood home was occupied by her five siblings and parents, until it was condemned and her siblings left for college. Eventually her parents were able to buy a two-bedroom house in the Eighth Ward, which Page inherited when they passed away.
“I wouldn’t be able to buy my home in Evanston on my own,” Page said. “I’m just keeping up with taxes that’s keeping the house, I would never be able to afford a home, not even a condo.”
The cost of housing outpacing household income was flagged by 23 participants as the “highest priority” for the equity group to address.
During an investigation of housing costs, the group found that 70% of Black Evanston households rent their home. While Black residents make up 17% of the city’s total population only 8.7% of homeowners are Black.
MaryAnn Taylor Crate, member of Evanston’s environmental equity team, presenting the group’s findings on July 16. Credit: My Ly
Meanwhile, about 61% of the population is white but whites make up nearly 80% of homeowners. “The median-income Black household would not be able to afford a medium-priced home anywhere in Evanston,” Yolanda Bouchée, a member of the team, said.
Team member MaryAnn Taylor Crate, speaking to an attendee of the third Environmental Equity workshop. Credit: My Ly
Residents also voiced concerns about a high volume of traffic that emits pollutants and affects air quality in certain wards.
“Some people said that the noise and vibrations from trucking and car traffic is so loud and uncomfortable that it affects their quality of life, even when they’re in their house,” Bouchée said. “They also said that some of the kids don’t walk to school just a couple of blocks because of the traffic, and they’re overwhelmed by the toxic smells.”
An uneven distribution of trees was the second-highest concern of survey participants.
Brett Weidl, the team project manager, said their research has found that communities that have historically been “redlined” and less invested in tend to have more trees, which while good for shade, can become hazards for communities.
“We’ve heard from residents that it can be hard to maintain trees in your yard,” Weidl said. “It’s expensive. The roots grow into the drains and that can cause problems. We might like shade, but those roots can cause hazards.”
As the city continues to develop and concrete and asphalt are laid, there is an increased risk of flooding since rain does not easily penetrate the surfaces, according to Weidl, “so this is a pressing issue for our community, and something we really need to be looking at as we move forward and understanding how that affects people’s lives.”
“Streets and alleys cover about 13% of the surface area in Evanston, so that’s a lot of impervious area,” she said. “Due to climate change, we’re seeing more flood frequency. We’re seeing very high-impact storms that are really attributing a lot of water in a very short period of time.
In the coming months, the group will hold a fourth and final workshop, where they will discuss other concerns from residents, including pedestrian and bicycle access, trash overflowing, homes being in close proximity to industries and parking access, according to Weidl.
The group plans to submit recommendations to the city in late September, she said.
“This is a cyclical thing, and so one thing leads to another thing, which leads to another thing which then leads to lack of wealth, building opportunities or negative health outcomes for a community,” she said. “So this is why we want to bring these things up, because there are these cycles, and we need to understand these cycles and understand how we need to interrupt cycles in order to make progress towards equity.”
My Ly is a Report for America Corps member.
Twenty years ago in April, I took a leap of faith and embarked on this amazing journey of entrepreneurship and started Added Dimension, LLC, a marketing, and communications firm that specializes in the design and implementation of community engagement and outreach initiatives on public infrastructure projects.
With a vision to empower ordinary people and a strong belief that meaningful participation in the decision-making process can yield extraordinary results, I set out to build a firm that would do just that by creating opportunities for ordinary people to be actively engaged and have a seat at the decision making table in a meaningful way and offer strategic guidance to clients across various industries.
Over the years, Added Dimension has grown and evolved, adapting to the ever-changing landscape of community engagement. Today, we are proud of our ability to execute and implement impactful engagement initiatives, foster strong client relationships, and achieve extraordinary results.
Our commitment to cultivating a shared vision within the neighborhoods and communities we serve and our desire to leave those areas better off than they were when we arrived has been fundamental to our success.
As I reflect on this 20-year anniversary, I am grateful to everyone who supported me and this endeavor. For when I started this journey, all I wanted to do was to build a firm that would not only meet the needs of our clients, but one that would make a difference in my community and provide others a voice and seat at the decision table. I believe I have been able to do just that by using grassroots strategies and the engagement of ordinary people.
Thanks to my great clients for the opportunity, my amazing staff for their hard work and dedication, my insightful business advisors for their invaluable advice and guidance, and my family for their continued love and understanding. None of this would have been possible without each of them.
This year, I am taking the time to reflect on the exciting yet sometime challenging journey that brought me here, consider and look forward to the future, and BE present in the moment by embracing new challenges and learning experiences.
Kudos Added Dimension!!! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!
