Chicago’s recent planning efforts have been largely place- or policy-focused, limiting the City’s ability to comprehensively address systemic issues that impact different neighborhoods in different ways.

As the first citywide planning effort of its type in half a century, We Will Chicago seeks to develop a people-focused vision for all aspects of Chicago government using two guiding principles:

EQUITY & RESILIENCY

These two principles can be applied to nearly all challenges faced by Chicagoans, including transportation, economic development, sustainability, public safety, education and other issues.

As guiding principles, they can help Chicago create the first people-focused plan in the city’s history — one that prioritizes investment in families and neighborhoods, which will inform priorities for government programs and projects and guide future budget decisions.

About the Referendum

In the 2020 general election, the voters of the City of Chicago were asked a question about the top-line goals of We Will Chicago through an advisory referendum:

“In creating its City-wide plan for continued growth and sustainability, should the City of Chicago place equal focus on the goals of resiliency, equity, and diversity?”

Results

According to final data from the Chicago Board of Elections, with 1.04 million ballots cast on this question, 88 percent of Chicago voters cast a "Yes" vote.

Principle Refinement

The City of Chicago gathered input about the referendum on this website, at focus groups for this initiative, and at multiple community conversations related to Mayor Lightfoot's Together We Heal initiative. Many respondents said the referendum was innocuous and phrased in a way that obligated them to vote yes. Others said they voted no because the question suggested that the three principals should have equal weight, which may not be proper for every conversation related to the We Will initiative.

After reviewing this input, the City decided to limit the chief principles of We Will to Equity and Resiliency, and city planners will work with the community to properly define those two terms within the context of this plan.

Moving forward, both of the principles of Equity and Resiliency will be informed by diversity, which will address stakeholder differences, experiences, strengths, and weaknesses through strategies that serve our common interests.