The Chicago Tribune

Life in a community of freed slaves is mapped and documented by young descendents.

Chicago area communities restore brick streets for aesthetics and traffic-calming.

Activists in Chicago are seeking private funding for a pedestrian bridge.

The new website provides information and a forum for residents to give feedback on transportation funding.

As large McMansions move into suburban areas, many of the smaller older houses are being pushed out of the neighborhood by higher taxes, or by demolition to make room for larger homes.

The Housing and Transportation Affordability Index is a new tool calculates affordability at the census tract level by taking into account not only housing costs, but transportation as well.

Inspired by European biking models, the "Bike 2015 Plan" envisions a city flooded with bicycle commuters using a well-developed infrastructure within 10 years.

Urban planner Kyle Ezell has developed a course to teach suburbanites the "skills" required for downtown living. It promotes the "ruppie", or "retired urban people" lifestyle.

Big city park agencies, advocates, and funders gathered for a conference to re-energize the urban parks movement and discuss the critical issues facing urban parks today.

High cost of living and recent hurricanes are driving residents of the Florida Keys to Central America.

A new Brookings Institution report examines the growth of NORCs in inner-ring suburbs, and how to maintain them in the face of rising property taxes and energy costs.

Chicago has erupted in controversy over the potential naming of a street after a Black Panther; what have street names meant to different people in different cities?

Environmentalists urge a Senate committee to restore and protect the five Great Lakes.

In the Rockies, developers and oil and natural gas companies are vying for access to the same land -- but what could be the consequences for local communities?

From countertops made of recycled paper to bamboo floors, learn from one couple who made their eco-friendly dream house.

Slowly but surely, the Chicago Public Housing Authority continues fundraising, demolition, and reconstruction at the infamous public housing project.

Proponents argue that sprinklers should be mandatory for all new single-family homes, and predict a revolution in consumer safety.

The Chicago Police Department is getting serious about community involvement in neighborhood safety, coinciding with the city's murder rate leveling off.

A recent fair housing study finds that landlords in refugee areas give preferential treatment to whites.

Robert Bruegmann's "Sprawl: A Compact History" turns typical anti-sprawl sentiment on its head.