Omforma samhällsengagemang : Utveckling av ett ramverk för samhällsengagemang för Safe Streets Board i Chicagos 40:e distrikt

The United States’ car-centric infrastructure and fragmented public transit systems present persistent challenges to pedestrian and cyclist safety. Chicago’s 40th Ward serves as a compelling case study to explore these issues, particularly within the context of the Safe Streets Board, which was launched in 2022 following a series of fatal accidents involving vulnerable road users. While the initiative holds promise, it faces obstacles, including low engagement due to one-way communication, feedback loops with unclear outcomes, uneven representation, and a perceived exclusive membership. These challenges have led to operational and capacity tensions between ward staff and the Safe Streets Board.This research aimed to develop a community-engagement framework for collaborative planning to strengthen the Safe Streets Board. The study focused on community dynamics, identified barriers to sustained engagement, and proposed an actionable framework. A mixed-methods approach was employed, incorporating semi-structured interviews, participatory observations (including one 20-minute workshop), and desk-based research of past meeting minutes and community engagement frameworks. Based on these findings, a community engagement framework was developed, centering on six components: Transparency and access, structure, process, representation, embedded advocacy channels, and evaluation.By aligning sustainable urban planning principles with the socio-cultural realities of the 40th Ward, this project seeks to reenergize the initiative and provide implementable recommendations for fostering safer, more inclusive streets. The resulting framework addresses local challenges, opportunities and interactions, serving as a context-specific model for building a stronger, more equitable foundation for community engagement, through using Arnstein’s (1969) Ladder of Citizen Participation is a theoretical framework.