Residents of Chicago will soon see some of the fruits of the controversial tax increment financing for the Lincoln Yards project in Chicago's North Side.
"Lincoln Yards’ developer plans to start building a bridge across the Chicago River by next summer that will help connect the site to the planned eastward extension of The 606 recreational trail," reports Ryan Ori.
The $35 million bridge is part of a nearly mile-long extension of Dominick Street between Webster and North avenues, according to Ori. Developers are planning to start construction in mid-2021, with "one driving lane and a pedestrian sidewalk in each direction, as well as a north-south bike lane."
The Lincoln Yards project attracted controversy throughout the approvals process for its heavy reliance on tax increment financing (TIF), but was approved with $490 in TIF funding by the city in August. That initial funding included enough for the full cost of the bridge, according to Ori.
FULL STORY: Lincoln Yards' $35 million bridge, with bike and pedestrian lanes, moves closer to reality

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.

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.

Acceptable Deaths
What can we learn from our Covid response?

New White House Housing Initiative Includes Zoning Reform Incentives
The Biden administration this morning released a new program of actions intended to spur housing construction around the United States.

Fare-Free Transit Hasn’t Reduced Car Trips, Data Says
Fare-free transit isn’t the climate change benefit that many have hoped, according to recent writing by David Zipper for Bloomberg.

Redevelopment Threatens Iconic, Affordable Chicago Homes
The ‘workers’ cottages’ are being replaced with larger, more expensive homes, threatening one of the city’s original forms of affordable housing.
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.