CREDITS: 1 CM

ABSTRACT

In 2025, the Chicago Department of Transportation completed a 2.5-mile neighborhood greenway along Granville Avenue, creating a vital connection between the North Shore Channel Trail and the Lakefront Trail. This mobile workshop will guide participants by bicycle through the corridor, highlighting a range of design strategies—including contraflow bike lanes, advisory bike lanes, pedestrian safety improvements, and targeted street network modifications—and the planning rationale behind each intervention.
Using the Granville Greenway as a case study, participants will explore what makes neighborhood streets feel safe, comfortable, and accessible for people of all ages and abilities. Discussions will focus on balancing mobility, safety, and community priorities while advancing broader goals of connectivity, public health, and quality of life.
The workshop will also examine the critical role of community engagement in project development, addressing concerns and navigating contested information environments. Attendees will gain practical insights into how planners can communicate project benefits, respond to community feedback, and foster meaningful participation to achieve successful and lasting outcomes.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES 

1. Participants will be able to evaluate corridors for potential low-stress bikeways and understand how design elements make the streets safer for walking and biking.
2. Participants will be able to craft compelling messages and storylines using findings from project backgrounds and discuss tradeoffs when engaging with stakeholders and elected officials.
3. Participants will be able to apply design elements used on Granville including network changes, bikeway type, and traffic calming elements to other networks, intersections, and corridors.