Transportation Advocacy in Belmont Cragin, Chicago

Plan Dulce Podcast

Learn about the transportation advocacy campaign led by the Northwest Center, a 501c3, community based organization (formerly known as the Northwest Side Housing Center) pushing to bring more bike lanes and bikeshare to the Belmont Cragin neighborhood of Chicago.

This episode was the first podcast collaboration between Latinos and Planning and the Shared-Use Mobility Center (SUMC).

Co-host: Hani Shamat is a Program Coordinator at SUMC in Chicago, Illinois

Co- host: Alex Rosander, mobility enthusiast and former Program Coordinator at SUMC

Guest: Zair Menjivar, operations Coordinator at Equiticity

Guest: Jeremy Cuebas, transportation organizer for Northwest Center

Producers: Hani Shamat, Alex Rosander, and Alvaro Villagran, Director of Federal Programs at SUMC

Editor: Grecia White, New Mobility Planner at City of Boston

Jeremy Cuebas is the transportation organizer for Northwest Center. His work focuses on building relationships and empowering the youth specifically in the Belmont Cragin neighborhood. He led a group of 30 students called the “Belmont Cragin Youth Leadership council” who met 5 days out of the week, to organize, strategize, and meet with community stakeholders, elected officials, and residents on issues that they are passionate about. In 2019 Jeremy and the youth council rallied around the idea of improving public transportation in Belmont Cragin.

Zair Menjivar is a firm believer that in order for Chicago to be considered the best city in the world, all 77 neighborhoods of Chicago have to be the absolute best. Zair is currently an Operations Coordinator at Equiticity, and in his previous role, he organized multiple transportation and health oriented events at the 31st Ward Alderman's Office. He also organized around transportation inequities in the Belmont Cragin neighborhood of the city, which recently saw unprecedented investments in new bike lanes, bike locks, and Divvy bike share stations.

Alex Rosander is a native Midwesterner, mobility enthusiast, and former Program Coordinator at SUMC where she provided planning and technical expertise on a wide range of mobility initiatives, including the Bikes for Belmont Cragin Evaluation Report, FTA’s Mobility Innovation Program, and USDOT’s Thriving Communities. As an urban planning professional with a keen interest in universal design and sustainable transportation solutions, she’s enjoyed the opportunity to work with agencies and community organizations to support strategic mobility efforts at both the national and local levels. Outside of work, Alex enjoys exploring new places on bike, hammocking along Lake Michigan, and listening to live music.

Hani Shamat is a Program Coordinator at the Shared-Use Mobility Center in Chicago, IL. Hani has a passion for transportation and a drive to make it equitable, sustainable, and connected. He has a Bachelor’s degree from Lawrence University, and a Master’s degree in Public Policy and Public Administration from Northwestern University, where he wrote his thesis on transportation equity, bikeshare, and multi-modal transportation.

Check out the Bikes for Belmont Cragin Evaluation Report:

• English version: https://sharedusemobilitycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/BikesForBelmontCragin_EnglishVersion.pdf

• Spanish version: https://sharedusemobilitycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/BikesForBelmontCragin_SpanishVersion.pdf

Learn more about the Northwest Center and their community focused work.

Plan Dulce is a podcast by the Latinos and Planning Division of the American Planning Association.