Bronzeville Community Development System

Skills:

team collaboration | research | design | presentation | knowledge translation

Tools:

Padlet | Canva Pro | Microsoft Excel

Description:

This collaborative project sought to map the community development system in Bronzeville, Chicago, through assessing whether the neighborhood had enough community development capacity to cope with its continual changes and investments. The work includes analyses into three main initiatives, such as the “Building Vibrant Retail in Bronzeville” plan, to determine the relationships between community development actors.

Mapping Bronzeville’s primary organizations and their initiatives using the Level 0 – Level 3 scale of development practice and capacity analysis. The project moves from a quantitative network to a qualitative assessment of organizations with active IRS 990 forms to evaluate Bronzeville’s broader community development trends. It concluded with an oral presentation and a stylized handout with condensed information on the project.

Responsibilities:

• Researched and analyzed 990 forms for the Quad Communities Development Corporation and The Renaissance Collaborative, coordinating through the Bronzeville Alliance.
• Mapped community development actors, projects, and relationships for their capacity and impact.
• Curated presentation and project identity through color and visual elements.
• Evaluated strengths and weaknesses in the community development capacity within Bronzeville by balancing apparent investment against existing projects.
• Created a stylized handout with the project’s information, including the research question, focus areas, links to Padlet application, and determination.