The Institute of Cultural Affairs (ICA) has passed the halfway point in its research of Chicago’s sustainable development projects for its “Sharing Alternatives That Work” conference in September 2012.

The ICA is working with universities to find sustainable development projects in each of Chicago’s neighborhoods as part of its “Accelerating Change in Chicago’s 77 Community Areas” project. As of January 25, 2012, students from seven local schools have covered 40 communities. The participants include students and classes from DePaul University, Chicago State University, Roosevelt University, Northeastern Illinois University, Loyola University Chicago, University of Illinois-Chicago and St. Xavier University.

Nina Winn, program coordinator, said that the students are coming from a variety of disciplines including journalism, geography and sociology. She added that as of early January, there were an estimated 155 students who have been active in the research. ICA and university partners are also developing a social media tool to allow for communication between individuals and organizations.

The project is part of the ICA's 50th anniversary celebration, culminating in a "Sharing Approaches That Work" (SATW) conference on September 15, 2012. The conference, held at ICA’s Greenrise Uptown Learning Laboratory at 4750 N. Sheridan Road, will bring together a selection of projects from each community area to share ideas and methods and attend seminars on sustainable development.