The present city administration and the previous administration both made commitments to increase the representation of neighborhood groups in the planning and decision making for the city. Neighborhood planning boards were put forward as the vehicle for this participation. These discussions to form neighborhood planning boards by city officials has stimulated the interest of the Grand Boulevard Community Development Corporation (GBCDC) to investigate the possibility of forming such a board. This discussion paper is meant to help GBCDC in this effort by outlining Chicago and other cities' experiences with neighborhood planning boards in terms of their establishment and legal authority, determination of boundaries, structure and selection, functions and powers, funding and financing.