Welcoming new arrivals to Chicago

In spring 2024, I led a team of researchers at the Institute of Design who sought to frame the migrant “crisis” in Chicago through a design-led systems perspective. The project’s goal is to develop effective systems frameworks to help decision-makers and on-the-ground workers meet the needs of new arrivals while also addressing the overall well-being of everyone in our community.

In our approach, we leverage proven methods for analyzing complex systems to gain a holistic understanding of problems:

• Identifying disconnections and “stuck points” within the system

• Centering the experiences of those who are exploited 

• Sensemaking around bias and systemic inequities

We believe complex problems like the migrant crisis demand a systemic and participatory approach to developing equitable solutions.