McKinley Park Neighborhood Plan

Another component of a resilient community is the residents themselves. The contributions of residents, businesses, and organizations in McKinley Park make the community stronger. Having a strong network of residents connected through a shared love for the neighborhood not only contributes to its character but also promotes a sense of respect, dignity, engagement, collaboration, and livelihood among neighbors. This strong sense of community exists within McKinley Park. Enhanced local capacity will help McKinley Park address future challenges and opportunities as well as longer-term projects, such as plan implementation. To this end, the plan seeks to get more people invested, engaged, and involved with the many commercial, cultural, and recreational opportunities within McKinley Park.

Build trust and collaboration with residents 

Developing strong partnerships with organizations can help enhance cooperation and utilization of the existing capacity, expertise, and knowledge of community-based organizations. To do this, an up-to-date list of local existing businesses and institutions should be kept and individuals should become familiar with the services they provide. Local business and community meetings should be used to keep these groups informed, and support should be given to efforts to develop community leadership and participation. Potential organizations include:

• Property and business owners
• Industrial and commercial organizations
• Religious leaders and members
• Community groups
• Consulates
• Arts and cultural organizations
• Ethnic media
• Health organizations or centers
• Leadership, organizing, or advocacy groups (Asian and Latino)
• Parks, schools, and libraries
• Unions

Promote civic engagement

Turnout in local elections affects government spending priorities. By encouraging groups that have had historically low representation at the polls, priorities can start to reflect the real needs of the community. Encouraging participation in municipal elections leads to a stronger, more representative government. There are a number of strategies that can be used to increase voter turnout, such as posting election reminders in email newsletters, partnering with community groups to host meet and greets with local candidates, and working with schools to hold mock elections for local students to get young residents interested.

Organize community-building activities

In many cases, the most effective way to engage residents is through community events. Block parties, street fairs and festivals, and community gardens can all help bring different groups together and help residents feel more integrated. A number of community events are already being held, and these can be used as opportunities to bring different segments of the population together. Partnerships, including advisory boards, the alderman’s office, local school councils, and community groups, should be used to figure out ways to engage diverse groups of residents in the process of designing, planning, and hosting year-round community activities in McKinley Park.

Components could also be added to existing events to help draw different audiences. Additional new events could be more low-key. For instance, the Village of Skokie has sponsored “Know Your Neighbor Week,” during which residents are encouraged to invite their neighbor over for coffee in their homes. The village provided hosts with kits that included invitations, conversation starters, and coupons to local bakeries.

From "Holiday Parties Brighten the McKinley Park Neighborhood," published January 6, 2020, in the McKinley Park News.