ABOUT US

Emerald South takes its name from the historic park and boulevard system that laces throughout Chicago. Known originally as “Chicago’s Emerald Necklace” this system includes Washington Park, the Midway Plaisance, and Jackson Park on its southern end and connects the three communities of Washington Park, Woodlawn, and South Shore.

The Emerald South Economic Development Collaborative was founded with the deep belief that Chicago’s mid-South Side is poised to enter a new phase of growth and development. The Obama Presidential Center, along with other impactful developments of our anchor institutions like the University of Chicago, has created an immense opportunity to generate community wealth in neighborhoods that have experienced systemic and systematic disinvestment for decades.

Emerald South has an ambitious agenda—centered on attracting traditional and innovative forms of capital, using our anchor investments to drive job creation, directing community and visitor spending power locally, and owning the rewards of our cultural production—to create community wealth and improve the fabric of the South Side.

MEET OUR STAFF