We’re excited to announce the five communities that will be part of our initial pilot:

• Avondale
• Bronzeville
• Edgewater and Andersonville
• Evanston
• South Shore

Local connection

Each chicago.com community will bring together moderated conversations among neighbors, a community calendar, and a curated newsletter highlighting what’s happening locally. A neighborhood-based, paid community steward will help surface useful information from across each community and welcome people into the conversation.

That focus on real-world connection is central to how communities are designed. Chicago.com communities are powered by Roundabout, a nonprofit digital platform created by our partners at New_ Public. Unlike commercial social media platforms designed to keep people scrolling, chicago.com communities prioritize local connection and a human touch.

The goal is simple: help people find what they need online so they can enjoy life offline. If you want to dig deeper into our vision for communities, check out Nieman Lab's recent article here.

Bridge the gap

Our research tells us there is still a gap between the local information Chicagoans want and what they can easily find. At the same time, our city and suburbs already have rich networks of local news outlets, newsletters, community organizations, neighborhood groups and people sharing useful information every day. Chicago.com communities are designed to help bridge that gap–not by replacing what’s already here, but by making it easier for neighbors to discover, share and connect with the information and organizations around them.

That’s why we’re starting intentionally small with five pilot communities representing a diverse geographic, economic and cultural cross-section of the Chicago area. We’ll learn alongside residents about what is useful, what complements the resources already available in each community and how chicago.com can contribute something genuinely valuable.

Sign up to learn more and help us build. More ways to connect with your neighbors are coming soon.

And if you want to support our work, you can donate here.