ABSTRACT
This chapter talks about corporate community involvement in Chicago. It considers the role of privately funded intermediary agencies active on the interface of public and private sectors, and the urban themes to which companies have committed themselves. The chapter analyzes the activities of two prominent companies with headquarters in the region, and the vision of a local project developer. It reviews three Chicago-based companies and their activities related to corporate community involvement: Sara Lee, McDonald's and the Shaw Company. The Commercial Club of Chicago is a meeting platform primarily for prominent personalities from the private sector, and to a lesser extent from the cultural and educational sectors. The appointment of the Civic Committee is a distinct sign of a change in attitude: it has taken on the proactive role that was hardly feasible for much larger and more traditional Commercial Club. The non-profit organisation Chicago Metropolis 2020 continues the tradition of the Commercial Club, but in a more regional perspective.
