CHICAGO— In case you missed it, in an essay capping the ChicagoTribuneand World Business Chicago’sChicago 2050series through which civic leaders from across Chicago have shared bold ideas and visions for what Chicago could look like 25 years from now.
Mayor Johnson presented a vision of a city where every community shares in the benefits of economic growth through critical investments in Chicago’s future that translate into lasting improvements in opportunity, equity, and quality of life.
“With the investments we are embarking upon today, we are laying the groundwork for a more vibrant, more equitable city tomorrow,” said Mayor Brandon Johnson. “By investing in our neighborhoods, our people, our infrastructure, and our schools we can come together to build a Chicago where every community can share in the city’s growth.
As we come together around a vision for Chicago’s future, we will continue our work everyday to lift up our residents while building the city that works for people.”
The op-ed series comes as World Business Chicago advances its Chicago 2050 Plan—the city’s first comprehensive economic plan in more than a decade—a long-term framework focused on positioning Chicago to remain an economically robust and culturally vibrant hub while leveraging the city’s competitive advantages to succeed amid emerging technologies, geopolitical shifts, and changes in the global economy.
The plan builds upon the Mayor Johnson's historic progress during his first three years in office, during which transformative investments in mental healthcare and affordable housing have coincided with violent crime hitting a 60-year low, O’Hare reclaiming its status as the world’s busiest airfield, and record-breaking tourism and hospitality growth.
Key excerpts from the ChicagoTribune:Chicago 2050: Mayor Brandon Johnson on building the city for a bright future
At its core, Chicago 2050 to me is about delivering on a simple truth: that every resident, in every neighborhood, is able to live, work and thrive in a safe and affordable city.
That looks like every child in Chicago having access to a fully resourced community school, robust mental healthcare, and communities free from violence and other forms of despair that have devastated too many families and neighborhoods.
It means developing vacant lots and reversing decades of disinvestment by building single-family homes, missing-middle flats, and denser residential in communities across our city as we expand housing access and affordability for every Chicagoan and every neighborhood.
2050 isn’t far away.
The young people sitting in our classrooms today will be the adults shaping our city tomorrow.
The decisions we make now will determine whether they inherit a city prepared to offer opportunity across every community — or one marred by inequity and disinvestment.
As mayor, I’m committed to ensuring we build the Chicago our children deserve. Because economic development only succeeds when the people who call this city home succeed alongside it.
As a father raising children in this city, I take that responsibility personally.
I know the talent that exists in every neighborhood.
I know the dreams that live in every classroom.
And I know that if we fail to invest in Chicagoans, we risk leaving too many people behind.
And when history tells the story of this era, let it say this about Chicago: that in a divided and uncertain time, this city chose hope over fear.
That while others pulled apart, Chicago came together.
That we believed every child — on every block, in every neighborhood — deserved a future worthy of their potential.
Let it say our city — shaped by workers and organizers, immigrants and builders — reminded the world what America can be at its best.