Sign in

nathansheskey.bsky.social

@nathansheskey.bsky.social
121 followers 222 following 173 posts
PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by @nathansheskey.bsky.social
are you not infotained @alopex-ii.bsky.social · 15h
I think a lot about how we currently live in the utopia imagined by the dreadful midcentury lawmakers who wrote codes like this—dominated by cars and highways, neighborhoods sapped of people and commerce, everything segregated to oblivion—and how we can and should put all their ideas in the trash
016925
Reposted by @nathansheskey.bsky.social
Mr. Brutalism @jmings.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
I think we should start by erasing most everything from that 1957 code
151
Reposted by @nathansheskey.bsky.social
David Welton @davidwelton.bsky.social · 22h
The code doesn't even need to specify 'corner'. That's where they make the most sense so that's mostly where they get built
052
Reposted by @nathansheskey.bsky.social
nathansheskey.bsky.social @nathansheskey.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
There's a really nice existing symmetry if we start allowing business in residential zones too: combining RS+B1, RT+B2, and RM+B3. It's not perfect but it generally creates a rising staircase of impact, allowing more business uses in areas with more allowed housing density.
011
Reposted by @nathansheskey.bsky.social
Protect Bridgeport Bicyclists @stevevance.net · 03/10/2026
omg we have to get rid of the front setback requirement forcing people to have little front lawns is pretty dumb
3223
Reposted by @nathansheskey.bsky.social
Daniel Kay Hertz @danielkayhertz.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Obviously I’m entirely made of Housing but a real good zoning reform we could make is re-legalizing corner stores on residential streets. Banned by the same 1957 code that banned ADUs, so maybe that’s next
1026029
Reposted by @nathansheskey.bsky.social
Abundant Housing Illinois @abundanthousingil.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
The South Chicago Land Use Framework is open for feedback until next Friday, 10/9, before the draft's presentation to the Plan Commission for potential adoption. The plan recommends mixed-use and multi-family zoning to align with the neighborhood's established uses. www.chicago.gov/city/en/dept...
South Chicago Land Use Framework
Draft Report for Public Comment
September 2026

DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT
CITY HALL, 121 N. LASALLE ST.
ROOM 1000
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60602This table shows common existing and desired uses allowed in zoning districts found in South Chicago. For the full list of land use allowances, please see the City of Chicago Zoning Ordinance. Zoning Districts highlighted in PINK are recommended and most desired for South Chicago.

Recommended zoning districts are: RT4, B2, B3, C1Mixed-Use, Neighborhood Corridors
These areas should prioritize active ground floor uses along the sidewalk to promote neighborhood business and commercial activity, while also incorporating housing. Most corridors identified for this use already have
existing commercial activity. Land use in this area will prioritize housing units on upper floors but also allow for ground floor residential units.
Recommended zoning districts: B2, B3, C1

Residential Revitalization and Preservation Area
A majority of South Chicago neighborhoods are residential and will remain as such. The goal for these areas are not only to preserve and maintain existing residential uses, but also to identify new housing opportunities to fill in housing gaps.
Recommended zoning districts: RT, RM

Urban Agricultural and Community Garden Area
The area surrounding Schafer Park has an opportunity to reinvent itself as an urban agricultural area. There are existing and planned urban agricultural uses that position this area to host food production and other related uses that are compatible with neighboring residential properties.
Recommended zoning districts: POS, RT, B2, C1, C2
1102
Reposted by @nathansheskey.bsky.social
Welcoming Neighbors Network @welcomingneighbors.us · 30/09/2026
✅ Pro-housing policy = anti-poverty strategy New Pew research makes it plain to see and names 10 states where fixing the housing shortage would significantly reduce poverty. 📉
nytimes.com
Where High Rents Drive People Into Poverty
A new study identified 10 locations where higher-than-average housing costs have impacted poverty the most.
1155
Reposted by @nathansheskey.bsky.social
Abundant Housing Illinois @abundanthousingil.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Abundant Housing Illinois is proud to endorse Bennett Lawson in his re-election campaign for Chicago's City Council. Bennett has been an advocate for pro-housing and pro-transit policy and worked tirelessly to advance sustainable, community-enriching measures, such as the legalization of ADUs.
15132
Reposted by @nathansheskey.bsky.social
Protect Bridgeport Bicyclists @stevevance.net · 22/09/2026
Lawson is one of the exceedingly few  incumbents in Chicago who has actually introduced and passed housing supply legislation 
281
nathansheskey.bsky.social @nathansheskey.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
This is the sort of development we should be encouraging across our city. Childcare and housing are both becoming more expensive in Chicago, we need more of them. This woman wants to create both - that should be celebrated by the city! Instead her alderman is trying to crush her local investment.
0153
Reposted by @nathansheskey.bsky.social
Abundant Housing Illinois @abundanthousingil.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
swipe through to read the full statement here, or read the PDF version: shorturl.at/0ogfP
052
Reposted by @nathansheskey.bsky.social
Abundant Housing Illinois @abundanthousingil.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Housing supply and tenant's rights go together like Old Style and Malört. The best housing policy out right now is BUILD. The best tenants rights policy out right now is mostly PRO. Aldermen and the Mayor should push both.
1194
Reposted by @nathansheskey.bsky.social
Abundant Housing Illinois @abundanthousingil.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
it’s our annual membership month! now's a good time to join the movement to end the housing shortage and make it so Chicago doesn't have the fastest growing rents 📈➡️📉 join now or read on to learn about the perks: abundanthousingillinois.org/join/
abundanthousingillinois.org
Abundant Housing Illinois
Abundant Housing Illinois is the largest YIMBY organization in the state. We advocate for abundant housing and sustainable, inclusive cities throughout Illinois. Abundant Housing Illinois is a chapter...
162
Reposted by @nathansheskey.bsky.social
Michael McLean @michaelmclean.me · 15/09/2026
Reminder: TONIGHT Come support a pro-housing champion, Patrick Gilsenan, for the 32nd ward (Bucktown, Hamlin Park, Roscoe Village, West Lakeview)
0135
Reposted by @nathansheskey.bsky.social
David Welton @davidwelton.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
A great antidote to all the doomerism and "nothing matters" is getting out there and doing stuff, and it's surprising how few people it can take to make a difference
0123
Reposted by @nathansheskey.bsky.social
Lake. Big Lake. @lakebiglake.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Our @dvillalobos.bsky.social quoted. @abundanthousingil.bsky.social chicago.suntimes.com/real-estate/...
chicago.suntimes.com
Construction to start soon at long vacant LeClaire Courts site on Southwest Side
With ample government backing, developers are set to start a $119 million first phase along Cicero Avenue.
1113
Reposted by @nathansheskey.bsky.social
Lake. Big Lake. @lakebiglake.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Letter to the editor today (9-7-26) in the @chicago.suntimes.com. @abundanthousingil.bsky.social
0378
Reposted by @nathansheskey.bsky.social
maria_from_ga @mariafromga.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
“Housing policy is urbanism policy is climate policy” strikes again We need to upzone and pro-density housing policy to encourage infill development which then encourages pro-transit policy which saves the environment and improves health Housing is the theory of everything
1154
Reposted by @nathansheskey.bsky.social
YIMBY Action @yimbyaction.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
🗞️ Chicago needs more housing that works for families. Adam Drakulic of our Abundant Housing Illinois chapter makes the case in a new Chicago Tribune op-ed for changing Chicago’s housing rules so families can put down roots. 🔗 Read the full piece: www.chicagotribune.com/2026/08/23/o...
chicagotribune.com
Adam Drakulic: Chicago can’t afford to lose more children to the suburbs. Make changes to housing rules.
Chicago is building, just not for families who are increasingly finding themselves in bidding wars for what housing inventory is out there.
094
Reposted by @nathansheskey.bsky.social
Chicago 🏳️‍⚧️🌱 @chicagotrans-plant.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
We should allow more taxable value to be built
0272
Reposted by @nathansheskey.bsky.social
smalldogsteffy.bsky.social @smalldogsteffy.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
If you can, go to this on Sunday
0145
Reposted by @nathansheskey.bsky.social
Abundant Housing Illinois @abundanthousingil.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
The Belmont Blue LIne ETOD Plan is accepting community feedback through Monday, August 31st. If you live/work/spend time nearby, make sure to share your thoughts here: helloinput.org/belmont-blue...
A satellite map of the area around Belmont with different pins showing ideas and concerns from community feedback.
2177
Reposted by @nathansheskey.bsky.social
YIMBY Action @yimbyaction.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
“But those new apartments are too expensive!” We hear this a lot. But building new housing isn't about just waiting for expensive apartments to “trickle down.” It's about adding more homes to the market. When people move into new homes, they leave their old homes behind. That's a moving chain. 🏡
084
Reposted by @nathansheskey.bsky.social
Abundant Housing Illinois @abundanthousingil.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Edgewater NIMBYs are at it again, trying to block a synagogue from redeveloping its space and build housing to benefit the neighborhood
flyer on a light pole that says "leni let me down and let emanuel congregation monetize their sacred space to a for-profit private developer, 29-story multiplex on the lakefront, instead of working to secure the land for the benefit of all"
4539
Reposted by @nathansheskey.bsky.social
The Southwest Collective @swcollectivechi.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
This morning, the Chicago Plan Commission will consider a proposal to raze Ford City Mall and build an industrial warehouse. As a bit of “community-oriented” window dressing, the developers are throwing in a handful of benches and landscaping…complete with a sidewalk to nowhere.
033
Reposted by @nathansheskey.bsky.social
M. Nolan Gray 🥑 @mnolangray.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Racial segregation wasn't an accidental or purely historical side effect of modern zoning—it was core to the story, and the resulting codes are still in effect in most US cities. www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1...
tandfonline.com
The racial origins of zoning: Southern cities from 1910–40
This article argues that the desire to regulate black residential patterns constituted a major objective of the early zoning and planning movement in the United States, particularly in the South be...
07330
Reposted by @nathansheskey.bsky.social
Michael McLean @michaelmclean.me · 17/08/2026
I’m excited that my alderman will face an opponent for the first time in a decade. Our ward has the conditions to be one of the best in the city for new development to pencil. But Waguespack sees new neighbors as a negative externality. Patrick has a positive vision on housing and mobility!
2607
Reposted by @nathansheskey.bsky.social
Patrick Gilsenan for 32nd Ward @patgilsenan.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
I'm proud to accept an endorsement from Abundant Housing Illinois! The shortage of housing in the 32nd Ward affects not only our neighborhoods but the whole city- we must build more housing to lower rents and make Chicago affordable for all, not just the rich.
1202
Reposted by @nathansheskey.bsky.social
Abundant Housing Illinois @abundanthousingil.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Learn more about Patrick’s campaign and how to get involved, on the campaign website. patrickfor32.com
patrickfor32.com
Patrick for 32nd Ward
Patrick Gilsenan is running for Alderperson in Chicago's 32nd Ward.
071
Reposted by @nathansheskey.bsky.social
Abundant Housing Illinois @abundanthousingil.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Abundant Housing Illinois early endorses Patrick Gilsenan for 32nd Ward Alderperson. He has nearly a decade of housing and homelessness advocacy, and an explicitly YIMBY platform: legalize the missing middle, upzone near transit, proactively upzone.
Graphic announcing endorsement of Patrick Gilsenan for 32nd Ward alderperson
1276
nathansheskey.bsky.social @nathansheskey.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
In the tone of a drug ad: If you're experiencing price anguish caused by Chicago's housing costs, talk to your elected officials today about More Homes*. *More Homes may cause side effects such as: a more walkable neighborhood, reduced car dependency, and feelings of life satisfaction.
0203
nathansheskey.bsky.social @nathansheskey.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
I've heard that there's model legislation to legalize this kind of residential use in commercially zoned areas 😉 www.metroabundance.org/legislations...
metroabundance.org
Homes in Commercial Zones - Metropolitan Abundance Project
About the bill “Converting an abandoned Sears store and the surrounding parking lots into a community of homes. Why would we not remove low-value structures and replace them with homes for families an...
051
Reposted by @nathansheskey.bsky.social
Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth @leniann.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
By the way, Chicago Big Tent Urbanists are real, and they’re spectacular
Just a few big tent urbanistsSeveral of many group leaders that make up the Big Tent Urbanists 48th warders plus Josh Big Tent Urbanist ChoderMeeting folks from BlueSky in the flesh is fun
27915
Reposted by @nathansheskey.bsky.social
Joseph Miscimarra 🇺🇸 @jmisci.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Highly recommend following @chicagotrans-plant.bsky.social - some of the best threads I’ve seen documenting the drama of public meetings regarding transportation/buildings/etc in Chicago
1153
Reposted by @nathansheskey.bsky.social
Lake. Big Lake. @lakebiglake.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
We definitely need higher floor-to-area ratio in neighborhoods, especially near L stops. A standard of 10 should be on the books for property near L stops, with the possibility of unlimited if circumstances are right.
0121
nathansheskey.bsky.social @nathansheskey.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
One of the reasons why I'm a YIMBY is because I believe in keeping our natural spaces wild and free of suburban sprawl.
A photo taken from a kayak on the Raisin River in Michigan. Trees shade the river creating a calm, serene space.
042
Reposted by @nathansheskey.bsky.social
YIMBY Action @yimbyaction.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Illinois is building fewer new homes than every state except Alaska. 😳 Why? Ben Wolfenstein from our @abundanthousingil.bsky.social chapter explains what's driving the housing shortage, and why it affects everyone. 🔗 www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MtD... What's holding Illinois back? 👇
0126
Reposted by @nathansheskey.bsky.social
Chicago 🏳️‍⚧️🌱 @chicagotrans-plant.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
"bike the drive was one of the happiest days of my life in the city. And one of the saddest was the next - when the cars returned. When we chose not to hear the water, the children, the birds."
13612
Reposted by @nathansheskey.bsky.social
SideStreets @sidestreets.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
but is there precedent
Meigs Field after Mayor Daley sent bulldozers to carve Xs into the runways.
0273
Reposted by @nathansheskey.bsky.social
Patrick Gilsenan for 32nd Ward @patgilsenan.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Go Leni!
081
Reposted by @nathansheskey.bsky.social
Abundant Housing Illinois @abundanthousingil.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Abundant Housing Illinois endorses Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth @voteleni.bsky.social for 48th Ward alderperson. Leni is a first-time alderperson who took a powerful stance in favor of proactive upzoning to legalize thousands more homes. She's proven herself to be a housing champion through and through.
2027 Chicago City Council endorsement graphic from Abundant Housing Illinois showing an inset photo of Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth
46512
Reposted by @nathansheskey.bsky.social
Madeline Loshaw @maddillo.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Yell at Congress, support more housing in Logan Square, and vote on how park money is used: tinylilactionschicago.substack.com/p/august-202...
tinylilactionschicago.substack.com
August 2026: tiny lil actions to make Chicago a tiny lil bit better
Yell at Congress, support more housing in Logan Square, and vote on how park money is used
0204
Reposted by @nathansheskey.bsky.social
Madeline Loshaw @maddillo.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Make friends who care about what you care about! Lots of transportation-ish events this month. tinylilactionschicago.substack.com/p/what-to-do...
tinylilactionschicago.substack.com
What to do in Chicago in August if you love tiny lil actions
Salt air and the rust on your door, I never needed bike lanes more.
061
Reposted by @nathansheskey.bsky.social
M. Nolan Gray 🥑 @mnolangray.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Some things I've learned about legislative advocacy, and I think my record speaks for itself. 1. Start by asking for everything you want. Stop preemptively negotiating against yourself. The process of passing the bill will whittle it down. Why started with a whittled down product?
437262
Reposted by @nathansheskey.bsky.social
Patrick Gilsenan for 32nd Ward @patgilsenan.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
You can’t solve a housing shortage by saying “no” to housing. We need to build more homes, protect renters, and make sure the 32nd Ward is a place where people can afford to put down roots and families can grow. My thoughts on housing and affordability: www.patrickfor32.com/news-updates...
patrickfor32.com
A Progressive, Pro-Housing Agenda - Patrick Gilsenan for 32nd Ward
Housing affordability has become one of the defining challenges facing Chicago. Rents continue to rise, homeownership is increasingly out of reach for working families, and too many people are being f...
0325
Reposted by @nathansheskey.bsky.social
Oh The Urbanity! @ohtheurbanity.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Edmonton’s broad upzoning has (so far) added $15 million to the city’s yearly property tax revenue.
111825
nathansheskey.bsky.social @nathansheskey.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Chicago is facing down another budget fight and our most sustainable path forward is to allow more homes to be built: citythatworks.substack.com/p/budget-tal...
citythatworks.substack.com
Budget Talks are Missing One Key Option
Importantly, an option completely in City Council’s control
000
Reposted by @nathansheskey.bsky.social
Michael Andersen @andersem.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Re-legalize Zak’s place
0368
Reposted by @nathansheskey.bsky.social
Damien C-C @dccc-phd.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Bring back neighborhood corner cafes and bars!!
042