Chicago: New-Economy Player

In the past ten years, broad changes in the Chicago region have affected its economy, demographics, public policies, and major residential and commercial property segments. Since 1990, metropolitan Chicago has added nearly 500,000 jobs, the downtown State Street shopping district has undergone a renaissance after years of decline, and downtown housing construction has gone from virtually nil to a robust 5,000 units annually. On the other hand, school test scores in the city of Chicago remain low despite reform efforts, and traffic congestion has become worse—especially in the high-growth suburban markets of DuPage and Lake counties. And future changes in technology and land uses are among many to which the city can look forward.