Harlem Avenue Visioning Study

The Department of Planning and Development's (DPD) Harlem Avenue Visioning Study provides a "big picture" vision for potential future projects along Harlem Avenue and identifies areas of greatest need, opportunities and aspirations based on local input.

The study area consists of a two-mile stretch of Harlem between Irving Park Road and Grand Avenue in the Dunning and Montclare community areas within the 29th and 38th wards. Between June 2023 and January 2024, one walking tour and four working group meetings were conducted.

The study considers public right-of-way improvements along Harlem to enhance the public realm. The study also explores safety and circulation upgrades, provides storefront recommendations, identifies new open spaces, presents potential branding options and gateway identifiers that welcome visitors, identifies opportunity sites for new businesses, and outlines an implementation framework to guide a future streetscape project. 

The study is a starting point for the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) for potential streetscape planning, pending funding. Its "visions" are for illustrative purposes only and would require additional studies, coordination with city departments and the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), community engagement, cooperation with property owners, funding, and fully designed and engineered drawings prior to implementation. Locations indicated for redevelopment opportunities are not actual proposals but representations of potential scenarios for consideration. 

The visioning study was administered by DPD and led by site design group ltd., in collaboration with McGuire Igleski & Associates, Goodman Williams Group, and Collabo.

A draft version of the study was presented to Plan Commission in April 2024. As part of the public engagement process, DPD opened a survey for individuals to share input on the draft document. The results of that survey are available for review.

The study was formally adopted by the commission on June 20, 2024.

Study Area