The man with a plan: UIC grad has a vision for his Garfield Ridge neighborhood

As cars speed through Garfield Ridge on Archer Avenue, recent UIC graduate Danny Villalobos shakes his head in frustration.

"That's in the plan," he says.

He's referring to a detailed, comprehensive community plan for Garfield Ridge, one of Chicago's 77 neighborhoods. The map of ideas for the area's future - including how to make Archer Avenue a safer, more inviting destination for businesses and consumers - is a passion project for him, in addition to his full-time job as an urban planner.

Villalobos is quick to point out, however, that the plan is not just his vision for the community of about 35,000 on the city's Far Southwest Side.

"It's informed by how the people who live and work here, just like me, see the area over the next 25 years or so," he said. "The residents, community groups and businesses have strong opinions of what works and what needs to change in Garfield Ridge.

"This plan doesn't become a reality without them - or UIC."

Building to a career in planning

The training and learning Villalobos got at the UIC College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs were essential to the work he's doing now for Garfield Ridge, he said.

After graduating from Carthage College in Wisconsin, Villalobos returned to Chicago to pursue a master's degree in urban planning at UIC. The program welcomed his passion for city planning and gave him the tools to turn his passion into a profession.

"Not only did I learn the essential components and business side of planning and development, but I gained confidence," the 26-year-old said of his college experience. "As soon as I had the know-how and sureness that I could do this, I was off and running."

His appreciation for the college's committed faculty, staff and administration is mutual.

"Danny was an absolutely top-notch student," wrote Joshua Drucker, director of graduate studies at the college and Villalobos' faculty advisor. In a nomination letter for recognition by the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning, Drucker called Villalobos a "thoughtful contributor to class discussions and a generous collaborator."

Dean Stacey White said Villalobos, who graduated in May, is the type of inspiring, intentional and purpose-driven student the college hopes to attract.

"He applied the knowledge and skills he learned in his master of urban planning and policy courses into a plan that will serve and benefit his community."

Listening and learning

Before he could address residents' issues or even suggest changes to his home neighborhood, Villalobos needed experience.

After graduating, he interned with the Village of Mount Prospect, a northwest suburb of Chicago, and began networking. Steve Fischer met a young and active student in Villalobos while doing maintenance at Our Lady of the Snows, a grade school in the Archer Heights neighborhood. The relationship evolved when Fischer became president of the Vittum Park Civic League, a neighborhood civic organization serving Vittum Park and Garfield Ridge.

"Danny would pop in meetings when he was home from college," said Fischer. When Villalobos graduated, Fischer offered him the vice president role at the league. The two now lead the group.

The plan, the planner and the planner's plan

Except for four years at college, Villalobos has spent his whole life in Garfield Ridge. He talks up his community whenever he can, noting how it being zoned like a suburb would benefit the area. The people of Garfield Ridge bemoaned the lack of a true main street, unsafe road conditions and concerns about public safety.

Using multilingual survey responses, Villalobos created a plan over 100 pages long outlining attainable goals. It recommends protecting the character of the area while adding corridor housing and mixed-use buildings to revive Archer and Cicero avenues, pedestrian-focused streetscape improvements and more tree coverage to match the canopy of Garfield Ridge's suburban neighbors and employing a land-use map to guide where growth and green space should go.

"Good community planning leads to meaningful community investment, and Danny understands this principle," said 22nd Ward Ald. Mike Rodriguez, who reviewed the plan. "By listening to residents, businesses and community stakeholders, he developed a thoughtful plan of action rooted in feedback. His vision reflects the priorities of the community and provides a clear path toward sustainable growth, stronger neighborhoods and lasting investment."

Garfield Ridge 2050 took most of 2025 to complete. It isn't on hold, but it's also not the priority. That would be his full-time job as a planner in the Lake County Department of Planning, Building and Development. He doesn't mind the round-trip commute of over two and a half hours for his job.

"I'm a blank canvas to them, ready to learn every day," he said about his role with the third-largest county in Illinois. "Because of my graduate degree from UIC, my team at times will accelerate the on-the-job training."

Villalobos reviews building permit applications for zoning compliance and assistance. He conducts land-use research and works on other special planning projects, the same way he did in the College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs classrooms.

His goal is a city-planning or urban-development job with the city of Chicago. It's not in the immediate future, but it's part of his plan, to take the lessons he learned at UIC and the passion he's developed for Garfield Ridge to a larger scale, to improve communities and make an impact.