By Shai Basys
For generations, the South Side Chicago neighborhood of Chatham has lived with water as both companion and adversary. Historically a lush wetland, this community of 140,000 residents is now disproportionately impacted by flooding. Approximately 64% of Chatham households experience flooding over a 10 year period, more than ten times the citywide average of 6%.
Shaped by a combination of natural flood risk factors and decades of environmental injustice, Chatham is now a model for climate resilience. Residents are installing rain gauges, planting trees and collecting data in partnership with scientists and universities to offer the city solutions that protect their homes, their histories and their legacies for the future.
A History of Environmental Injustice
Chatham’s soil still holds memories of marshes. The neighborhood is in one of the lowest-elevation areas of the city, reports the 2017 RainReady Chatham plan, and naturally receives water from surrounding areas. As Chicago expanded into a sprawling city, nature receded and concrete took over, leaving more than 50% of the community covered in impervious surfaces that prevent rainfall from soaking into the ground.
In the 1920s, the city updated its sewer infrastructure, but these improvements did not adequately extend to Chatham, leaving a “gap” of outdated storm sewers and drainage systems beneath the neighborhood. The plan reports that residents now face three major types of flooding:
- Sewer backups, where sewage enters basements through floor drains and toilets.
- Foundation seepage, with water entering through walls, cracks, or groundwater accumulation in yards.
- Street flooding, caused directly by overwhelmed sewer systems.
Despite this reality, insurers routinely deny Chatham homeowners flood insurance, noting that the neighborhood is outside of “designated floodplains.” Even residents with legacy policies inherited from grandparents often face denied claims or limited coverage.
Uninsured flood damage not only leads to immediate repair costs but also diminishes homeowner equity, hindering the ability to secure loans or refinance, thereby affecting long-term financial stability. These denials not only harm property values but also undermine generational wealth, compounding economic and environmental injustices for the community.
Greater Chatham Initiative Community-Led Interventions
A recent study by the Center for Neighborhood Technology found that Chatham filed more National Flood Insurance Program claims than both the Calumet Region and all of Cook County. While scientists and residents are working to address the issue, community members need tools to understand the root causes of flooding, and how they can take action in shaping solutions.
In response, the Greater Chatham Initiative (GCI), led by longtime Chatham resident Nedra Sims-Fears, has partnered with local universities, including the University of Chicago, UIUC, Northwestern and Chicago State University, to combine community engagement with academic research.
This coalition addresses the community’s flooding issues by examining two key hypotheses:
- Is Chatham’s outdated sewer infrastructure a primary cause of ongoing flooding?
- Does Chatham’s history as a wetland contribute significantly to flooding through a naturally high water table?
To seek answers to these questions, residents have become citizen scientists. Through soil sampling, groundwater monitoring and rainfall tracking, the coalition empowers Chatham residents, researchers and students to contribute real-time data critical to flood analysis and prediction models. This data can be used to inform city infrastructure planning, strengthen applications for resilience funding, and support policy advocacy that prioritizes historically underinvested neighborhoods.
The 2025 Rain Campaign and “Water On My Block” App
On April 12, GCI launched the 2025 Rain Campaign and introduced the “Water On My Block” app. Developed through a rigorous human-centered design process with residents, the app enables real-time flood reporting and community-level sharing of flooding incidents.
Features include:
- Fuzzy-location mapping to protect privacy
- A resource hub for residents
- Automated email functionality to engage policymakers
Kelly Wagman, a Computer Science Ph.D. student at the University of Chicago, led the app’s development and emphasized the team’s care in balancing privacy with usability.
Putting Down Roots
According to the 2020 Chicago Tree Census, the lack of tree cover is another reason why the South Side of Chicago suffers from more intense flooding than other parts of the city.
Trees provide two essential services related to water management:
- Interception: Tree leaves catch and hold water, reducing the amount that hits the ground.
- Absorption: Tree roots draw water from the soil, reducing soil saturation.
To address the lack of trees and flood risk, GCI partnered with Morton Arboretum to plant 400 trees in the last year, including 200 along 79th Street, a known heat island and flood hotspot. The program selects tree species like maple and willow that absorb high volumes of water and are heat-resilient. GCI also collaborates with Chicago 311 and Our Roots Chicago to plant trees on residents’ properties across Chatham.
Reader Question
What role can science and technology like artificial intelligence play in amplifying the voices of communities most affected by environmental injustice?