CENTER FOR NEIGHBORHOOD TECHNOLOGY
Mission Statement
The mission of the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) is to build more livable and sustainable urban communities. CNT fulfills this mission by delivering game-changing research, tools, and solutions to address environmental and social challenges.
About This Cause
The Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) is an award-winning innovations laboratory with a mission to promote and achieve more livable and sustainable urban communities. Founded in 1978, CNT turns transformative urban sustainability ideas into real benefits for people and communities across America, capturing the economic value of efficiency and livability. Our work includes research and advocacy on issues in energy, transportation and land use, economic and community development, and climate. A recipient of the 2009 MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions, CNT researches, promotes, and implements innovative solutions to improve the economy, make good use of existing resources and community assets, restore the health of natural systems, and increase the wealth and well-being of people – now and in the future. CNT builds stronger and more equitable local economies by generating cutting edge research and analysis, advancing public policy and coalition-building, creating web-based information tools, and advancing economic development and social ventures. As a “think and do tank,” CNT’s unique approach to research, recommendations, and action increases household wealth and regional productivity, improves environmental quality, and builds stronger and more equitable local economies. CNT works across issues, agencies, and stakeholders to address issues of sustainability in several ways by: Helping communities become RainReady: CNT works to move resources from traditional “grey” infrastructure to “green” infrastructure through performance-based water service innovations and stormwater management within the Great Lakes Region. RainReady, an initiative developed by CNT Water staff, works with municipalities, community organizations, and individual homeowners to provide practical and effective strategies to combat increased urban flooding resulting from climate change. RainReady aims to leverage our experience with Wetrofits at the individual property level to inform our community- and municipality-level outreach and advocacy agenda. Researching and promoting Sustainable Prosperity: CNT has found that using place-based assets and resources more efficiently can catalyze increased employment at better wages and create jobs for those who need them most. As an anti-poverty strategy, the Sustainable Prosperity framework draws upon CNT’s entire arsenal of insights and tools designed to lower the cost of living, improve environmental quality, and stimulate economic development. CNT sets and measures quantitative targets, and proposes potential solutions to meet goals in terms of income, jobs, expense reduction, and community benefits enabled through prioritization of opportunities and ongoing measurement of progress. Demonstrating the value of Location Efficiency: Through CNT’s groundbreaking research, we are shifting the definition of housing affordability to include transportation costs and advocating for urban policies that reinvigorate economic growth and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Projects in this area support equitable and economically diverse transit-oriented development (TOD) and cargo-oriented development (COD); promote funding of mass transit and other transportation choices; and advance new public priorities, rules, and incentives for livable communities. Developing and sharing Data Driven-Solutions: Our growing suite of data-driven solutions – including climate action plans, Transit Desert maps, and the Housing and Transportation (H+T®) Affordability Index – quantify the issues of poverty, efficiency, and sustainability to help our policy makers, planners, and individuals make well-informed, sustainable choices. For example, CNT research helped make the case that building affordable housing near transit can significantly reduce greenhouse gases from auto emissions. As a result, California will devote billions of dollars in new cap-and-trade revenue to fund projects intended to further curb climate impacts with investments in high-speed rail, public transit, and affordable housing near transit. CNT has two non-profit affiliates: Elevate Energy (formerly CNT Energy), which develops innovative new initiatives to help consumers and communities control energy costs and reduce energy use; and Alternative Transportation of Chicagoland (ATC), formerly the owner of IGO Car Sharing, which works on market-based transportation and mobility solutions.