In its 148-year history, Evanston has seen the blossoming of Northwestern University and the rise of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union. It’s the birthplace of Tinkertoys, the stomping ground of Cusacks and Pivens, and the originator of ice cream sundaes (depending on who you ask).
So for its 150th birthday in 2013, a group of civic leaders has decided to celebrate Evanston’s past by looking to its future with a community-wide initiative called Evanston150.
The goal is to engage citizens in imagining the city’s future and, in doing so, generating ideas that will have broad community support and an enduring impact on the city.
“We’re embarking on a long and exciting journey,” said Jay Lytle, a former Evanston mayor, managing director of First Evanston Bancorp, Inc., and a member of the Evanston150 steering committee.
“We’re beginning a process which will lead us to the generation of 10 big ideas that will help shape Evanston’s future,” Lytle said. “Evanston is famous for 150 years of big, bold ideas.”
The steering committee hopes to receive at least 2,013 ideas, which will be reviewed by a selection jury. One hundred ideas will be selected and presented to the public for a vote narrowing the ideas to 30. On November 10, the selection jury will announce the final 10 ideas, which organizers hope will be completed or underway by 2013.
Ideas can come from citizens or groups, and should focus on how to make Evanston a better place. Lytle urged those submitting ideas to remember the famous words of architect, urban planner and Evanston resident Daniel Burnham, who said, “Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men’s blood.”
Organizers modeled the initiative after the efforts of Dubuque, Iowa. In 2005, Dubuque community leaders launched Envision 2010, which similarly engaged residents in submitting ideas for the town’s future. Ideas included connecting the town’s walking trails, establishing a federally qualified health center, and helping students learn a second language by the time they graduate high school.
Ideas can be submitted on the Evanston150 Web site, which also contains applications for the Evanston150 selection jury. A kick-off rally for the initiative is scheduled from noon to 2 p.m. March 26 at the Levy Senior Center, 300 Dodge Ave.
