Western Avenue Corridor Study

The Western Avenue Corridor Study is a community-based planning initiative led by the Department of Planning and Development (DPD) and the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) to envision an equitable, long-term future for a five-mile section of North Western Avenue, from Addison Street to Howard Street. 

The study will examine the land uses, development patterns, and circulation along this heavily traveled and diverse corridor. The study seeks to analyze the potential to:

• Increase density
• Promote a greater mix of land uses
• Improve how development relates to the surrounding, lower-scaled residential areas
• Enhance pedestrian safety through a forward-thinking design and planning process.

The project will build upon previous community outreach and will emphasize the voices and preferences of the diverse communities that intersect the study area, which include portions of North Center, Ravenswood, Lincoln Square, West Ridge and West Rogers Park.

The community-led planning process launched in early 2021, and was designed to include the following key components: 

• Building consensus with the Western Avenue communities through a public planning process to establish a shared vision for the future
• Reviewing and analyzing corridor attributes and conditions, such as land use, zoning, parking and bike facilities, pedestrian safety, public amenities, and more
• Establishing a long-term vision for the corridor that includes future land use and zoning recommendations, design guidelines, potential public right-of-way improvements, and implementation objectives
• Developing a "Resource Reference Guide" for corridor stakeholders that identifies available tools and City resources to promote growth and improvement of the corridor