About 40 community members and city officials gathered Wednesday night in the basement of Ebenezer AME Church to examine preliminary findings from the city’s ongoing Environmental Equity Investigation.

The meeting marked the second of four public workshops led by a team of city-hired consultants studying how environmental injustice affects Evanston residents. 

One consultant, Brett Weidl, is a landscape architect with MKSK, an architectural firm specializing in urban design. She said public input gathered during workshops is the “foundation” of the team’s investigative work. 

“This issue of environmental equity applies directly to our residents,” Weidl said. “Without that, there is no process, there is no study, there is no investigation because we need to hear about their lived experiences and the personal impact of environmental inequities.”

The consultants presented preliminary data and requested feedback from community members on four topics: streets and transportation; housing and development; community services; and open space, parks and trees.

Residents received stickers to place on posters indicating their level of concern about certain issues. Then, they cycled through stations, where consultants led small-group discussions.

Weidl said the location of Wednesday’s meeting was intentional. 

“(The 5th Ward) is a community that has seen probably some of the most dramatic impacts of environmental inequity,” Weidl said. “So it was really important for us to come out to this community in particular to be able to ensure that they are represented in this process.”

At the housing and development station, community organizer William Carter expressed his frustration with newly constructed townhomes and apartments designed to accommodate Northwestern students. He said these projects have “destroyed” an “elderly, low-income Black community.”

The consultants emphasized their work is focused on residents with lower incomes, those living in racially segregated neighborhoods and communities with shorter life expectancies. They identified two focus areas, one of which includes much of the 5th Ward — where Ebenezer is located.

Pastor Deborah Scott said the event highlighted the church’s role in addressing local issues.

“We are a part of the community, and so what happens to the community happens to the church,” Scott said. “We ought to be a gathering place where the community (and) the city can come in like today and have a discussion on possible solutions.”

At the open space, parks and trees station, some residents raised concerns about the quality and accessibility of city parks. Weidl said that while Evanston has several parks, many are small and not well-suited for recreational use.

Others suggested the city should prioritize planting mature trees that will provide shade quickly, particularly in areas like the 5th Ward. 

Cara Pratt, the city’s sustainability and resilience manager, said she hopes public workshops will encourage more residents to share their perspectives.

“I think it’s often hard to get people’s attention on something like environmental justice because it’s not necessarily a concept that is understood widely,” Pratt said. “But as the word spreads among people’s neighbors, I really feel confident that more and more input will come.” 

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