The Lakota Group

This Indigenous Peoples Day we are proud to highlight our ongoing partner, YMCA Seven Council Fires, an organization dedicated to community development and placekeeping on the Cheyenne River Reservation in South Dakota. The project featured here is Morning Star Village, a tiny home community designed for YMCA of the Seven Council Fires by Siris Coombs Architecture. The homes were designed through comprehensive engagement with the local tribal community and will provide transitional housing for those living in overcrowded or unsafe living conditions. Named after the brightest star on the eastern horizon, which symbolizes the connection between the living and the spirit world, Morning Star Village is designed to honor and support Lakotan culture and traditions. The community will include a ceremonial gathering space, murals from local artists, and culturally symbolic design elements. Our firm is thrilled to contribute to this project by guiding the landscape design which will incorporate native flora and sustainable materials throughout the site. The end result will be a garden and community space that emulates a traditional medicine wheel, enhancing the well-being of residents who will call the village home.?

Lakota's Director of Community Strategies, Joshua Bloom, along with Daily tous les jours Co-founder mouna andraos, will speak at an exciting session at tomorrow's National American Society of Landscape Architects conference in Washington D.C. Josh and Mouna will talk about their work to quantify the economic and social impacts of public space interventions using innovative tools and strategies. Their ongoing and widely-cited research has measured economic outcomes as well as social impacts on well-being, diversity, equity, and inclusion to support city leaders, funders, and public space designers in their work. #ASLA24 American Society of Landscape Architects ?

Before your next visit to the Village Of Antioch check out our video for a sneak peek at what the beautiful Sequoit Creek has to offer!

Thanks to grant funding from Lake County Stormwater Management Commission (SMC), we’ve helped transform a once-hidden stretch of Sequoit Creek into a beautiful, naturalized waterway. By daylighting the creek from a decades-old culvert, we’ve not only restored its natural flow but also created a vibrant park and community gathering space around it. This park truly celebrates the connection between nature and community, offering a serene environment for families, friends, and visitors to enjoy. Come explore the scenic walking paths and bridges, open green spaces, and the revitalized creek that now flows as the heart of this community gem. Special thanks to our collaborators Strand Associates, Inc.?, Williams Architects, Deigan & Associates, LLC, Hines Inc, Boller Construction Company, and of course the Village Of Antioch for their vision and dedication to creating a sustainable, community-centered space that enhances both the natural landscape and the quality of life for residents and visitors alike.

Next week at the IL APA Conference, don’t miss Andy Cross, AICP, Lakota's Senior Associate and APA IL Professional Development Officer, hosting three engaging sessions. On Wednesday at 9:45 AM, he'll be hosting Only Planners In the Building joining GovLove for a live podcast recording about the Daniel Burnham Award-winning North Chicago Comprehensive Plan. Later that morning at 11:00 AM, Andy will lead a session reviewing last year’s most fascinating Ethics Cases and how they connect to the AICP Code of Ethics. Finally, on Thursday at 10:15 AM, catch him at "Wait Wait DO Tell Me" for a fun and interactive session. You'll also find him at the Murder Mystery and Trivia Night – lots of opportunities to connect with Andy!

Siraj Asfahani, Lakota’s Vice President, and Taylor Wegrzyn, North Chicago’s Economic and Community Development Director, will be interviewed in a live podcast at the IL APA Conference. Hosted by Andy Cross, AICP and Dan Bolin, this conversation will dive into the process behind the Daniel Burnham Award-winning North Chicago Comprehensive Plan, uncovering moments of success, challenges, and what makes the plan uniquely North Chicago. Join us on Wednesday at 9:45 AM for this special collaboration between APA-IL’s "Only Planners in the Building" podcast and GovLove!

Join Alexis Stein and Hannah Bader at the #ILAPA Conference next Wednesday at 9:45 AM for a speed planning session! Discover how comprehensive plans can take a wholistic approach to implementation by testing strategies across multiple pillars and themes. Learn how to connect Quality of Life with mobility, land use, housing, and arts & culture, just like we did for the Award-Winning North Chicago Comprehensive Plan. Roll up your sleeves and get ready to create your own perfect pairings and strategy synergies! ?

The Lakota Group, in collaboration with Sam Schwartz, won the American Planning Association - Illinois Chapter Daniel Burnham Award for Outstanding Comprehensive Plan of 2024—a great win for City of North Chicago, a majority-minority community with a strong vision for the future. It's an award-winning plan for an award-winning community. With the right leadership in place, the North Chicago Comprehensive Plan - Plan Comprensivo was already in motion the month it was set to be adopted, driven by enthusiasm for change. ? Since its launch, we've seen incredible progress. From negotiations for a new police station on 10th Street, funded by AbbVie in collaboration with the City of Waukegan, to beautification projects downtown and along key corridors—North Chicago is coming alive. This includes vibrant murals on 10th Street and Sheridan Road, with additional grant submissions for the realignment of Foss Park Street and streetscape lighting improvements on Sheridan Road. ? A key focus of the plan is addressing the critical issue of low homeownership, which stands at just over 30%. This has led to neglected housing stock and the illegal conversion of single-family homes into non-conforming multi-family units. For this predominantly African American and Latino-Americano community, homeownership is more than just housing—it’s a pathway to building family wealth, creating stable neighborhoods, and fostering social capital. ? We are proud to have worked alongside our new allies in North Chicago to bring this vision to life and support the ongoing transformation of their community.

A Lakota Senior Associate SHEro has joined the 2024-2025 Board of Directors for Women in Planning and Development as the Marketing Co-Chair. Look out for Hannah Bader, a Master of Urban Planning & Policy (MUPP), who brings her expertise in strategy and design to this leadership role. She will continue to bridge creativity with community impact, blending analytical thinking with innovative solutions. Hannah stands out as a leader, driving both vision and marketing efforts in key initiatives. She also leads the firm’s volunteer committee and has led efforts to continue strong partnerships with our allies in South Dakota. We're proud to see her championing collaboration in planning. Shoutout to all the MUPPs out there! UIC CUPPA Women in Planning and Development Chicago

Planning takes time, but it's worth the wait! We put on our planner and resident hats to celebrate Rogers Park's Clark and Devon improvements reclaiming pedestrian space and creating a more welcoming and vibrant environment. With a new public plaza and walking path on Arthur Avenue, renovated plaza outside the police station, new streetscape, crosswalk upgrades, increased green space, neighborhood identifiers, and street banners—all recommendations from the Vision Clark Street Master Plan, which we were proud to have led. This project was made possible through the dedicated efforts of the Rogers Park Business Alliance, Alderpersons Andre Vasquez Jr. (40th), Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth (48th), Maria Hadden(49th), as well as Chicago Department of Transportation, IDOT, and AECOM. We are thrilled to see these plans come to life!