A new initiative seeks to bring investment dollars to Chicago communities that for decades have suffered from the loss of wealth and population.

Oscar Perry Abello reports on a kickoff event for INVEST South/West, a new Chicago neighborhood improvement initiative, and the vision of the city’s new planning commissioner, Maurice Cox. The initiative will bring $750 million to the South Side and West Side of Chicago, areas that historically have struggled with disinvestment.
"Rather than being proactive in coordinating city dollars across agencies, the planning department has been more reactive, mostly responding to developer applications for tax increment financing (TIF) dollars, other local subsidies, or zoning changes to clear the path for new luxury developments," says Abello.
One of Cox’s goals is to better coordinate planning efforts to stop development patterns that have favored wealthier North Side neighborhoods. He expects that public investment in South Side and West Side communities will draw private investment.
Several factors could help Cox’s vision become a reality, including the Cook County Land Bank Authority and strong community organizing in these areas, notes Abello. However, redlining of homeowners and small businesses is still an issue. "There’s a long history of broken promises to the South Side and West Side, and Cox is coming to terms with that," he adds.
FULL STORY: Chicago’s New Planning Commissioner Says Hello to the South Side

Planning for Congestion Relief
The third and final installment of Planetizen's examination of the role of the planning profession in both perpetuating and solving traffic congestion.

Minneapolis Housing Plan a Success—Not for the Reason You Think
Housing advocates praise the city’s move to eliminate single-family zoning by legalizing triplexes on single-family lots, but that isn’t why housing construction is growing.

Car Noise Is Killing Us
It’s not just traffic collisions that kill—a new study from researcher at Rutgers finds that the loud noises emanating from cars has direct impact on heart health in Americans.

Affordable Housing Proposal Faces Backlash in Salt Lake City
A public hearing last week revealed widespread opposition to a plan to loosen density and height limits and reduce parking requirements to encourage more developers to build affordable housing.

Houston Bike Summit Makes In-Person Return
The event will focus on improving bike safety and continuing maintenance on the city's growing network of bike lanes and trails.

Austin’s Transit CEO Moving to D.C.
After overseeing a major system redesign and plans for its largest-ever expansion, the head of Capital Metro will take over Washington, D.C.’s transit agency.
City of Malibu
EMC Planning Group Inc.
Jefferson Parish
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Harvard GSD Executive Education
City of Rohnert Park
City of Hot Springs
City of Lakeway, Texas
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.
Hand Drawing Master Plans
This course aims to provide an introduction into Urban Design Sketching focused on how to hand draw master plans using a mix of colored markers.