We are working with a Naming Committee, led by a talented consultant team this summer to discuss new ways to think about the canal. The Naming Committee will work to ensure the nomenclature is thoughtfully developed with widespread community engagement including Native Americans, historians, conservationists, community representatives, elected officials, business leaders, government agencies, and many more.

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Our goal is to redefine the canal’s present by removing the stigmatizing term “Sanitary” from its title, and to catalyze creative thinking for what is possible culturally, environmentally, and economically with the canal in the future.

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The Naming Committee is tasked with:

• Helping to gather ideas, cultural context, history, and other information that can inform how we think about the re-defining of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal

• Reflecting on community input gathered from surveys and other discussions to identify key themes about the identity of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal

• Identifying and refining three to five new canal names that will be shared in a public-facing campaign

• Supporting a formal application to rename the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal to the selected new name

 

The Naming Committee will meet three times throughout the summer and will be facilitated by an expert consultant team comprised of MK Corona LLC and Preservation Futures, LLC.

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See below for Naming Committee notes and current input opportunities.

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Naming Committee Meeting #1: July 24, 2025

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Naming Committee Meeting #2: August 6, 2025

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Naming Committee Meeting #3: TBD

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Naming Committee Meeting #4: TBD

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