Save the date for June's Bronzeville Trail Framework Plan open house
The June 3 event will provide updates on a community-led, long-term planning process to create a trail and green space atop the former Kenwood rail embankment between Lake Park Avenue and State Street.
Stop by any time between 5:30 and 7:30 PM at Wendell Phillips Academy High School, 244 E. Pershing Road.
Register to attend or visit the Bronzeville Trail Framework Plan website
Overview
The Chicago Department of Planning and Development (DPD) and the Department of Transportation (CDOT) are seeking community input on the proposed conversion of the Kenwood embankment into an elevated trail and green space.
The embankment was used by the Kenwood branch of the city's rapid transit system between 1907 and 1957, when it linked Bronzeville to the Union Stock Yards, the Loop, and other destinations. Countless South Side residents used the line for daily commuting and transit needs, contributing to the thriving cultural, spiritual, and professional identity of the greater Bronzeville neighborhood. Almost no evidence of the former stations or tracks remains beyond the embankment's concrete walls, with wild vegetation covering most of the surface.
A long-term, community-led visioning process to improve the embankment and adjacent land was initiated in fall 2025 with the Bronzeville Trail Framework Plan. Led by DPD in partnership with the Bronzeville Trail Task Force, MUSE Community + Design, DePaul Institute for Housing Studies, and Nurture Architects, the framework could be finalized and presented to the Chicago Plan Commission for adoption in early 2027 as a formal guide to planning decisions and public expenditures. As of early 2026, no timetable exists for a proposed trail project that is expected to require years to finance, design, and construct.
Sign up for email updates about public engagement opportunities during the framework process.
Upcoming Events
The Bronzeville Trail Task Force is leading community participation in three public meetings through 2026 that will help ensure the vision for the trail and adjacent land reflects local goals. Times and dates to be announced in early 2026.
