Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel made a surprise announcement this week that he would not seek a third term in office.

John Greenfield followed the "bombshell" announcement that Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel would not seek re-election with a post counting his administration's accomplishments in the realm of sustainable transportation and traffic safety.
Setting aside the other controversial aspects of Mayor Emanuel's time in office, Greenfield focuses on the list of accomplishments toward improving transit, bike, and pedestrian facilities around the city.
While the list is laudable, there's reason to critique Mayor Emanuel's work as well. Greenfield explains:
But as transportation analyst Yonah Freemark noted in a Twitter thread earlier today, Emanuel was also guilty of some failures and missed opportunities when it comes to improving Chicago transportation. Freemark argued that the mayor abandoned planning studies like the one to improve Museum Campus transit, and eventually slowed the pace of bike and pedestrian improvements. He also noted that the O’Hare express project, which was awarded to the increasingly erratic tech mogul Elon Musk, has been a major distraction, and that the mayor gave up on making some important improvements to bus service that could have helped reverse the declining bus ridership trend…
Greenfield concludes the article by speculating on the positions that candidates to replace Emanuel should focus on to present a robust sustainable transportation platform.
Meanwhile, in a separate article by Mark Brown, Mayor Emanuel shares his to-do list before leaving office. Notably, Mayor Emanuel's remaining goals include completing the Lakefront biking and running paths, picking an architect for the new international terminal at O'Hare, and completing a contract for a new train linking downtown to the airport.
For a review that focuses less on transportation and more on the history of development and planning during Mayor Emanual's tenure, see an article by Jay Koziarz.
FULL STORY: What Rahm Got Right About Transportation, and What Still Needs to Change

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie