The 'L' train has survived calls to be disbanded and a tumultuous century and a quarter to become a, sometimes unreliable, city icon.
The 1890s were a time of growth for Chicago and, when the city opened its above ground rail line, it was popular immediately. "The wooden train, run by the private Chicago and South Side Rapid Transit Railroad Co. along what is now the Green Line," Mary Wisniewski writes for the Chicago Tribune. "The 'L' also promoted democracy, since it forced people from different income levels, races and ethnic groups to sit together," Greg Brozo, author of The Chicago 'L' told Wisniewski, a claim transit boosters still make today.
Chicago was seeing skyscrapers built along the transit route so it's only fitting that Chicago's train should be elevated, too, Brozo commented.
FULL STORY: Chicago's elevated train system started 125 years ago
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Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
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Op-Ed: Why an Effective Passenger Rail Network Needs Government Involvement
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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.
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions