Amendment of Municipal Code Chapter 10-28 adding new Article XIV establishing Digital Wayfinder Pilot Program

• Record number: SO2026-0024048
• Type: Ordinance; category: City Council
• Status: In Committee
• Sponsor: Walter R. Burnett (27th Ward)
• Committee: Committee on Economic, Capital and Technology Development
• Submitted Date: Mar 18, 2026
• Introduction Date: Mar 18, 2026
• Official record: Office of the City Clerk

Impact report

Written by AI from the official document. AI can make mistakes; the official document always wins.

This ordinance would create a pilot program letting a private vendor install 25 to 50 digital touchscreen kiosks on sidewalks in the Fulton Market and Near North areas to give directions and information and to make money for the City.

Who it affects

• Pedestrians and visitors in the Fulton Market and Near North pilot areas: They would find touchscreen kiosks on the public way showing maps, real-time transit information, events, and emergency alerts.
• Local businesses in the pilot areas: The kiosks could show local business information, job postings, and advertising, and reports must track small business participation.
• Vendors and advertisers: A selected vendor would install and maintain the kiosks at its own cost under a contract of up to 20 years, paying for permits and earning money through ads and sponsorships.
• City taxpayers: The City may not spend any of its own money on the kiosks and could receive a share of revenue under negotiated contract terms.
• City Council committees: The Committee on Finance and the Committee on Economic, Capital and Technology Development would get monthly progress reports and then quarterly performance reports.

What changes

• 25 to 50 digital touchscreen kiosks would be installed on sidewalks only within the two pilot areas.
• The kiosks would show maps, transit information, local business listings, job postings, events, surveys, ads, and emergency alerts such as severe weather warnings.
• The Chicago Department of Transportation must approve how many kiosks go where, to ensure safe siting and spacing.
• The pilot program ends December 31, 2030 unless City Council acts, but installed kiosks may keep running for the length of the contract, up to 20 years.
• When the contract ends, the vendor must remove the kiosks and restore the sidewalk at its own expense.

Money

• The City may not spend any City funds on designing, installing, running, or maintaining the kiosks; the vendor must cover all costs.
• The vendor must pay permit fees for public way use permits, conduit permits, and other required permits.
• Revenue from advertising, sponsorships, and partnerships may be shared with the City under terms set in the contract.
• A vendor that leaves a kiosk up after the contract ends faces a penalty of $500 to $1,000 per violation, with each day counting as a separate violation, plus all removal and restoration costs.

Where: Fulton Market Pilot Area (Washington Street, Hubbard Street, Halsted Street, Ashland Avenue); Near North Pilot Area (Chicago Avenue, Division Street, Wells Street, Halsted Street)

When: Ten days after passage and publication