The Wetlands Initiative
Lakota has just completed a community engagement and master planning process for the Dixon Waterfowl Refuge, a spectacular 3,000-acre wetland and natural area about two hours southwest of Chicago. After almost a century as farmland, in 2001 The Wetlands Initiative turned off the pump and began to restore the Refuge to wetlands. The Refuge today... Read More
Categories: In The News, Project Stories
Lakota in the Tribune: Niles Arts+Culture Plan
On February 16, the Lakota Group led a Community Workshop for the Niles Arts + Culture Master Plan. The event drew a huge crowd and was covered by the Chicago Tribune. Check it out! Read More
Categories: Awards + Accolades, In The News
Governmental Policy and the Creation of Vibrant Rural Communities
How does the government define rural, and how can allies of the built environment challenge the incoming administration to continue and advance programs and policies that have strengthened and maintained rural character and sense of place? The U.S. Census Bureau simply defines rural as, “areas that are not urban–that is, after defining individual urban areas,... Read More
Categories: Ideas + Research
Empower your Community with These Three Strategies
“There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about.” — Margaret J. Wheatley As communities’ Allies in Place, we strive to help our clients and their constituents discover those things they care about most, and develop plans that make them come to fruition. We continually look to add to... Read More
Categories: Ideas + Research, Project Stories
The Newsiest of News Around Lakota
Out with the warm weather but in with more new hires at Lakota! We are absolutely thrilled to announce the newest additions to our growing Team: MARISA SHULZ, an experienced urban designer, planner, and writer, joins us as our first Marketing + Brand Director. Marisa was most recently on the faculty at DePaul’s Chaddick institute... Read More
Categories: Uncategorized
In the Community, In the News
Lakota has been in the news again, engaging with suburban communities outside both Chicago and Milwaukee—and those conversations are yielding real results: ACTIVE TOSA: Lakota is leading the effort to create a Recreational Master Plan for Wauwatosa, a community near Milwaukee, WI. Our work, which will address the future of the parks, trails, open spaces, and recreation... Read More
Categories: In The News, Project Stories
Lakota’s New Look: New Brand, New Vibe
We at Lakota pride ourselves on being able to listen to folks, synthesize what we hear about their values, histories and goals, and then pull it all together into a creative whole. So when faced with the need to take a deep look at our own Lakota brand, it was a rare chance to sit... Read More
Categories: Around the Office
Milwaukee Redux – the 2016 Main Street Now Conference
Every morning this past month of May, I’ve mistakenly typed “mainst” into my laptop computer password field at work. Such an annoying occurrence — it was my old password from the laptop I had while working for the National Main Street Center so many years ago. But I know why I was doing it —... Read More
Categories: Around the Office, Ideas + Research
In the (Partner) Spotlight with the Millennium Reserve
The Lakota Group has been featured as a Partner Spotlight on the Millennium Reserve Website. President Scott Freres explains how Lakota embodies an “ally” mentality, while VP Sarah White emphasizes the importance of public engagement in Lakota’s process, which, Sarah says, is all about “trying to find common ground between people with different perspectives. Our work... Read More
Categories: Awards + Accolades, In The News