The Austin Neighborhood Roundtable was formed in spring 2020. Consisting of representatives from city agencies, aldermanic offices, neighborhood organizations, small businesses and resident groups, the roundtable seeks to advance local goals through a broad, cross-disciplinary approach that leverages the insights, wisdom, creativity and resources of local stakeholders.

The goal of the roundtables is transparency: to ensure the neighborhood voices are heard and integrated into the priorities of public and private investments, to obtain feedback on INVEST South/West projects as they advance, and to put planners at the table with neighborhood stakeholders.

The roundtable meetings are organized and led by Southwest Side planners from the Department of Planning and Development (DPD) along with representatives from the Austin African American Business Networking Association (AAABNA), which acts as the manager for the priority corridor of Chicago Avenue between Austin and Cicero.

The roundtable meets monthly on Zoom, and plans to conduct public, in-person meetings in Austin once the ongoing public health crisis has subsided.

Questions on the roundtable can be directed to DPD@cityofchicago.org. Materials and select conversations from past meetings are listed below.