Once dismissed as a "drive-through" corridor of vacant lots and fading industry, Oak Park's 11 Mile Road has transformed into a vibrant, people-centered destination. This presentation tells how a series of small, intentional actions - such as rezoning blighted industrial parcels, reimagining underused parking lots, and deploying tactical urbanism - sparked corridor-wide change.
Learn how Oak Park aligned land use and economic development tools with community values, attracted breweries and local businesses, and established a social district during the COVID-19 pandemic to safely activate public space and support local commerce.
Key takeaways include practical strategies for engaging residents early, leveraging in-house talent, and funding creative solutions through grants, TIF, and special assessments. Presenters emphasize sustainability and equity, showing how flexible planning approaches can adapt to crisis, foster inclusion, and build long-term resilience.
Leave with actionable tools to revitalize corridors in your community-balancing bold vision with phased implementation, gaining community buy-in, and sparking regional collaboration. See how even modest interventions can breathe new life into declining strips and create lasting, inclusive impact. Closed Captioning
Learning Objectives:
Recognize and evaluate how affordable, small-scale strategies in land use, economic development, and financing can serve as powerful catalysts for corridor revitalization.
Use tactical urbanism approaches to pilot concepts, engage stakeholders, and foster trust within the community.
Develop adaptable funding strategies that effectively harness local, county, and internal resources, while remaining responsive to emerging opportunities and innovative models, such as social districts introduced during COVID recovery efforts.
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