A successful small business in Chicago has ruffled some feathers in a neighborhood grappling with crime and poverty. Why? Because Felony Franks is too unsavory a name, even for a hot dog stand that employs ex-convicts.
"Felony Franks encountered friction even before it opened in July. Last year, after securing building permits from the city, Mr. Andrews visited Robert Fioretti, the alderman who represents the area around Felony Franks. 'I don't like the name,' Mr. Andrews recalls the alderman saying."
"Later the alderman proposed a city ordinance that would prohibit signs extending 7 inches or more from a building's facade on a small stretch of street where Felony Franks is located. The City Council has yet to vote on the proposal. Mr. Andrews calls it a 'direct attack' on his business. Mr. Fioretti says it's part of a beautification project and 'has nothing to do' with the hot-dog stand."
"Kevin Jones, 42, who works at Felony Franks, says he doesn't feel exploited. 'Working here allows me to provide for myself and my family,' says Mr. Jones, who says he used to sell crack and served two years' probation for possession of a controlled substance. 'I've lived in this neighborhood for 15 years and there's gunfire every other day and you never hear anything about that, but all of a sudden there's all this hoopla about a hot-dog stand?'"
FULL STORY: Slaw and Order: Hot-Dog Stand in Chicago Triggers a Frank Debate
Chicago Approves Green Affordable Housing Plan
The Mayor’s plan calls for creating a nonprofit housing corporation tasked with building affordable housing that meets Green Building standards.
Museum of Public Housing Opens in Chicago
The museum highlights the history of public housing in the United States using displays intimately woven with family artifacts.
Chicago Transit Agencies on Brink of Major Crisis
Without additional funding, regional transit agencies will be forced to cut services by 40 percent.
Rethinking Redlining
For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California High-Speed Rail's Plan to Right Itself
The railroad's new CEO thinks he can get the project back on track. The stars will need to align this summer.
Washington Passes First US ‘Shared Streets’ Law
Cities will be allowed to lower speed limits to 10 miles per hour and prioritize pedestrians on certain streets.
Montreal Mall to Become 6,000 Housing Units
Place Versailles will be transformed into a mixed-use complex over the next 25 years.
USDOT Could Pull Federal Funding for New York
The federal government gave the state until May 21 to end new York City’s congestion pricing program or risk losing federal funding and project approvals.
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.
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions