Making a Visible Difference in Communities: Illinois
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Chicago, IL
Pilsen/Little Village and SE Chicago
The city of Chicago has a large and diverse population and geography, and a complex set of local government units. EPA focused on two geographic areas, Southeast Chicago and the Pilsen and Little Village neighborhoods, with the greatest environmental burden and with community groups that are actively engaged on environmental issues. In SE Chicago, EPA worked with the community to address PetCoke issues and to restore habitat in the Millenium Reserve, which also provided work experience through the city’s GreenCorps. In the primarily Latino neighborhoods of Pilsen and Little Village, numerous Superfund response actions were underway. Community-based health, soil and air monitoring work was conducted, along with planning for green infrastructure, complete streets, more rails-to-trails, and access to recreation.