Incremental Development
Our towns and cities should be built for people, adapting and evolving to meet our needs. Incremental Development is a development strategy that embraces this idea. Instead of relying on large-scale, high-risk, top-down projects, this approach focuses on building vibrant places through a series of small, manageable steps. It's about empowering local citizens to become developers of their own neighborhoods, one small project at a time.
This method allows communities to grow organically, respond to feedback, and build financial resilience from the ground up. It could mean a homeowner adding a small apartment over their garage, a local entrepreneur renovating a vacant storefront, or a neighborhood collectively improving a small park. By taking small, incremental steps, we can create places that are more diverse, affordable, and human-scaled. This page explores the principles behind this powerful idea and how it can be used to strengthen our communities in Illinois.
Important Links to Consider:
Strong Towns: A leading non-profit media organization advocating for a new model of development that builds financial strength and resiliency in North America's towns and cities. https://www.strongtowns.org
Incremental Development Alliance: A non-profit that trains and mentors small-scale developers to help them build better, more prosperous neighborhoods. https://www.incrementaldevelopment.org
CNU - Congress for the New Urbanism: An organization that champions walkable, mixed-use community development, with many principles that align with incrementalism. https://www.cnu.org
