The dirt on Depave Chicago
Why Depave Chicago?
Over the last century pavement has come to dominate cities so much that we’ve become numb to its presence.
Concentrations and high percentages of pavement pollute waterways through converging stormwater run-off….
…create eddies of residential flooding…
...and intensify the urban heat island effect.
Furthermore, concentrations of pavement means less ground surface for gardens, parks, urban forests, and other public natural spaces that are critical for absorbing, shading, buffering, and provisioning.
In Chicago, 35% of Chicago’s urban land is paved, and 92% of pavement is asphalt.
Some parts of the city including community areas are constituted by even higher percentages of pavement. For example, the community of McKinley Park, where MAT Asphalt operates one of its asphalt production plants, is 46% paved. East Garfield Park is 41%. South Lawndale encompassing Little Village is at 43%. Brighton Park has 46%. These percentages are staggering and speak to a city and communities in peril as we face climate change and increasing heat.
Embracing depaving is a critical step forward to achieving the City’s climate adaptation plan, tree canopy targets, green and complete streets policies, green stormwater infrastructure with volume control targets, and equitable public space.