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Organizing a neighborhood potluck dinner seems daunting to most people, but most people aren't like Charles Shanabruch or Scott Sonoc. These good citizens created the Historic Chicago Bungalow Initiative (HCBI), an urban rehabilitation program dedicated to preserving and serving a community of close to 80,000 homes in Chicago's vast Bungalow Belt. Their focus: architectural integrity, energy efficiency, and opportunity for improvement for all homeowners.
"I saw a disturbing trend building in Chicago: homeseekers looking to the suburbs, to areas with Tudors and Victorians, and to cornfields sprouting mansions," says Charles, a business professor who with Scott (an architect) nurtured the effort and now serves as executive director. "I realized that the Chicago Bungalow neighborhoods needed to take an activist role or else become blighted, so I gathered the right people to help reverse the trend through education, marketing, and incentives—the components that built the bungalow neighborhoods in the first place. It's been just over five years since The Chicago Bungalow Initiative was launched, and more than 7,000 homeowners have had their houses certified and made eligible for benefits. "Just 70,000 to go!" Charles adds. Benefits include special loans, architectural assistance, and expedited permitting for restoration or rehabilitation; design guidelines; ongoing educational seminars; and grants for improving energy efficiency. | 
