Centered around past (1928), present (2017), and future (2211) Chicago teens, No Small Plans (2017) is a graphic novel inspired by Walter D. Moody's 1911 Wacker's Manual—an illustrated textbook that helped promote Daniel Burnham and Edward Bennett’s 1909 Plan of Chicago in schools for more than 20 years.
The 144-page graphic novel was published by the Chicago Architecture Foundation (CAF)—in collaboration with Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Public Library, as well as support from the American Planning Association—as part of its "Meet Your City" civic education initiative, which aims to inspire Chicago students to get to know and take care of their city. Starting this September, the CAF plans to distribute 30,000 copies of the book to the city's teens over the next three years, and will organize design workshops to teach students on what makes a good neighborhood.
The story and illustrations conceived by Gabrielle Lyon, Kayce Bayer, Devin Mawdsley, Chris Lin, and Deon Reed (of the local Eyes of the Cat artists collective) were further formed with the help of architects, urban planners, community planners, and educators from more than 30 organizations. Teens from the Teen Fellows Program @ CAF helped select the team of artists, review early drafts of the story, and most importantly, served as the real-life inspirations behind the characters in the book.
Spread across 17 Chicago neighborhoods, No Small Plans poses questions on important issues such as gentrification, displacement, and how people can get involved in their neighborhood's decision-making processes. According to a press release by the foundation, "The ['Meet your City'] program challenges [students] to learn more about the structural needs of their neighbors and to understand how the culture and community engagement affects the built environment."
The "Meet Your City" initiative will officially launch across Chicago public schools on Sept. 5, the first day of this year's fall term. No Small Plans is available for purchase online at the CAF Store.
