An editorial in Crain's suggests that by not taking full advantage of its history with the Blues, Chicago is wasting a precious cultural resource and missing an opportunity for tourism dollars.
Blues songs have told Chicago's story for generations, but a recent piece in Crain's Chicago Business argues the city has been unwilling to return the favor. Besides being home to some of the greatest blues musicians, it's also the site of a living musical culture that could be a boon to the city. "[T]o think of Chicago blues as merely a historic legacy is to overlook its worldwide following in the here and now—and to miss out on a tourism and economic development opportunity that's pumping hundreds of millions of dollars into other cities," Crain’s argues.
Compared to cities like Memphis, St. Louis, and New Orleans, which have built museums and tourism campaigns around their musical heritages, Chicago is lagging behind—both generally and with the blues specifically. "[W]hen tourists land in Chicago seeking a place to learn about the blues, they're pretty much on their own," Crain's writes. While Chicago is host to a major weekend Blues Festival every year, Crain's sees this as not nearly enough. "You'll find no museums here. No statues, no official tours, no markers of the vital clubs where the music gestated on the South and West sides," Crain's writes. These clubs are largely unknown even to local Chicagoans, but they have a powerful story to tell and great music inside.
FULL STORY: Chicago can't afford to squander its blues music legacy
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
New Park Opens in the Santa Clarita Valley
The City of Santa Clarita just celebrated the grand opening of its 38th park, the 10.5-acre Skyline Ranch Park.
U.S. Supreme Court: California's Impact Fees May Violate Takings Clause
A California property owner took El Dorado County to state court after paying a traffic impact fee he felt was exorbitant. He lost in trial court, appellate court, and the California Supreme Court denied review. Then the U.S. Supreme Court acted.
How Urban Form Impacts Housing Affordability
The way we design cities affects housing costs differently than you might think.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
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.