Lake County, Illinois Residents and Planners Convene on Climate Migration Preparedness

On October 8, 2026, New America’s Future of Land and Housing program and New America Chicago will host a scenario planning session on the future impacts of climate migration on housing affordability. The event will bring together residents, community-based organizations, researchers, planners, policymakers, and other stakeholders to explore what North Chicago can do to prepare its housing and infrastructure for potential climate migration in the decades ahead.

Neighboring Chicagoland’s affluent North Shore, North Chicago is a relatively affordable community. But steady growth in population could increase housing costs, displace longtime residents, overburden infrastructure, and strain public services, if not prepared for. In our session, community members who are most at risk of displacement will have the opportunity to share their experiences and priorities in order to inform the conversation around climate migration preparedness in their community.

Event participants will work through a scenario planning exercise to create several possible futures for their community, based on different climate migration and housing conditions. Attendees will then outline possible policies and strategies to protect housing affordability while also boosting North Chicago’s ability to welcome newcomers.

This event is part of New America’s Great Lakes Receiving Network, a multi-city initiative to help cities in the Midwest region prepare their housing and communities for climate migration, in partnership with residents and community organizations. As a first step in each city where we work, we utilize our CivicSpace methodology, a people-centered approach to public policy, to engage with community members on climate migration and housing. Previous events were held earlier in 2026 in Minneapolis, Cincinnati, and on Chicago’s North and West Sides, with over 100 local residents and practitioners attending in total.