Chicago advances Native American-inspired housing project

Chicago’s first Native American-inspired affordable housing project is moving forward on the city’s Northwest Side, according to WGN. The city council approved funding for Jigzibik, a seven-story building with 45 rental units. The name Jigzibik, meaning “at the river’s edge” in Potawatomi, reflects the project’s cultural design, which includes a symbolic representation of the river.

The development will include a mix of studios, one-bedroom, two-bedroom and three-bedroom apartments. Organizers held a land blessing instead of a traditional groundbreaking. “We decided we would do it with an Indigenous method and prepare the ground like we would traditionally if communities were gathering,” one organizer said. The project, six years in the making, is a collaboration between city agencies and Native American organizations.