Open Air Chicago + The Southwest Collective

In the summer of 2025, the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) and University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) School of Public Health installed 277 sensors throughout Chicago, making it the largest community air monitoring network in the United States and the second largest in the world. Now, the partnership has publicly launched air sensor data via Open Air Chicago.Grace Adams, CDPH Environmental Health Projects Administrator, and Jaime Groth Searle, Founder and Executive Director of The Southwest Collective, discuss Open Air Chicago, how it can be utilized, and its possible applications for Chicago’s community members, including those in Searle’s beloved southwest region.Learn more about air quality in your Chicago neighborhood area by visiting the Open Air Chicago map.