Tierra Linda is LUCHA’s first sustainability-oriented development, bridging affordable housing with green technology for low-income residents of the City of Chicago. Located along the 606 Trail, Tierra Linda represents LUCHA’s commitment to transforming communities through community development and increasing neighborhood access to people who might otherwise be displaced from Chicago’s increasingly exclusive housing market. Moreover, it is a step toward an equitable affordable housing field which approaches development through the lens of environmental sustainability.

One of the six-flat Tierra Linda buildings is the first affordable, multi-family Passive House in the City of Chicago. The Passive House advances LUCHA’s commitment to green and sustainable housing by the following enhancements which lead to increased heating and cooling efficiency and thus decreased energy costs for renters:

• Employing continuous insulation through the entire building without thermal bridging
• Utilizing balanced heat- and moisture-recovery ventilation
• Exploiting/minimizing solar gain

LUCHA sees the Passive House – and Tierra Linda as a whole – as a testament to the fact that everyone deserves access to high quality housing and a healthy space to live!

Health & Wellness

LUCHA has designed a network of programming around Tierra Linda’s core values which advances individual and family health through a wellness framework. Tierra Linda programming was developed in partnership with agencies such as Enterprise Community Partners and the Illinois Public Health Institute, which collaborated with LUCHA to create a comprehensive Community Health Action Plan to improve health outcomes for residents in LUCHA’s service areas. With an emphasis on resident health and wellbeing in our core programming, we are on our way to fostering a healthier, more mindful culture in our community.