A new interactive mapping tool, created by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, makes the case for a renewed, regional focus on the infrastructure that moves the region.
According to an article by Rachel Dovey, "a picture is worth a thousand wonky words like 'infrastructure,' which — numerous sources have pointed out — isn’t very sexy."
To make a visual appeal to the region's lawmakers and voters, the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) created a new resource that turns "piles of regional statistics into clean-but-sharp interactive maps."
The site itself is organized across a seven-county region and offers three varieties of maps: roads, transit, and freight. The website also includes a "forward" that offers a policy agenda for CMAP.
Read the full story: Chicago Planners Map “Crumbling Infrastructure” in Exquisite Detail
Mapped: The Ghost Bikes of Chicago
Ghost bikes, sad, silent tribute to those killed while riding bikes, are more controversial than seems possible. The Chicago Tribune has a map that endeavors to track their locations around the Chicago area.
Mapping Ten Years of Affordable Housing Projects in Chicago
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Interactive, 3D Chicago Zoning Map Lets You Visualize Potential Development
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Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement
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Northwest rail fans eager for Sept. 30 debut of Amtrak’s Airo fleet
Get ready for that new train smell and more seats. But they won’t go faster or run more frequently on the Cascades route in Washington and Oregon.
Brightline Florida files for bankruptcy
The transit company is over $5 billion in debt.
St. Louis Metro to test if single-car trains can reduce operating costs, maintain rider satisfaction
The pilot program will run from October to spring 2027, and begin with one single-car train operating on Metrolink’s Red and Blue lines.
Pennsylvania is building data centers in abandoned mines
Housing data centers in mines provides an alternative to destroying local forests and may spare residents from data centers’ noise and air pollution.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello