Chicago

Gold Coast and Old Town

Progressive Property Tax Proposal Dies in Less Than 24 Hours

Susana Mendoza, a Chicago mayoral candidate, reconsidered her plan for a graduated property tax after receiving pushback.

January 10, 2019 - Crain's Chicago Business

Black Americans

Chicago’s Black Population Could Drop by Half by 2030

1.2 million African Americans lived in Chicago in the 1980s. Now Cook County loses tens of thousands of African Americans every year.

January 1, 2019 - Chicago Reporter

Accessory Dwelling Unit

Coach House: Legalize It?

Advocates in the city of Chicago are pushing to legalize Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), which currently can only be rented if grandfathered in.

December 27, 2018 - Chicago Magazine

People

Black-White Segregation Decreasing, Slowly

Segregation is decreasing, even in America’s most segregated big cities.

December 26, 2018 - The Brookings Institute

Chicago Transit

Chicago Gets Federal Money for TOD Planning Efforts to Accompany Red Line Extension

The long-discussed 130th Street Red Line stop gets federal money for planning transit-oriented development to accompany the proposed new station.

December 26, 2018 - Streetsblog

Chicago Bike Trail

Chicago's 606 Bike Path Made Gentrification Inevitable, Expert Claims

Because the rails to trails project left housing up to the market, rising rents were inevitable, claims a new report.

December 22, 2018 - Crain's

Chicago Bus

Chicago Ordinance Focuses on Equitable TOD

Transit-oriented development has ramped up in Chicago, but racial and economic inequities have come along with it. A proposed ordinance would expand TOD zones while also preventing displacement of residents.

December 21, 2018 - Streetsblog Chicago

The Boring Company

Early Reviews of Elon Musk's Boring Co. Tunnel

Take a tour of Elon Musk's idea for fixing Los Angeles congestion.

December 19, 2018 - Los Angeles Times

Lake Michigan

A System For Identifying the Opportunity Zones Most Likely to Deliver on the Triple Bottom Line

Some "Opportunity Zones" will deliver more social end environmental benefits than others.

December 18, 2018 - MAPS

CTA STation

Construction Contracts Awarded for Chicago Transit Authority's Largest Project Ever

A flyover to clear a bottleneck of trains serving the Red, Brown, and Purple lines is a key component of the massive modernization project planned by the Chicago Transit Authority.

December 13, 2018 - Chicago Tribune

Stony Island Arts Bank Chicago

Theaster Gates Brings Together Planning and Art to Empower Communities

His work in Chicago has created spaces that protect and celebrate black lives and experience.

December 12, 2018 - Forbes

CTA Purple Line train

Fans of Transit and/or Chicago: We Have a Card Game for You

The card game LOOP was made by people who obviously put in some serious time hanging from straps on the L.

December 8, 2018 - CityLab

Chicago River North Branch

Plan Changes for Chicago’s Lincoln Yards Project

The massive proposed development project on the Chicago River is facing a host of questions about density, open space, and infrastructure.

December 2, 2018 - Chicago Tribune

'Don't Be a Turkey: Ride Transit'

The Regional Transit Authority took to the streets of Chicago to drum up support for transit, and transit funding, this Thanksgiving.

November 22, 2018 - RTAChicago via YouTube

Derek Mindler

An Argument for a Graduated Real Estate Transfer Tax in Chicago

As it exists today, Chicago's real estate transfer tax is a flat tax that charges the same percentage for modest homes and mansions.

November 19, 2018 - Chicago Sun-Times

Chicago Parklet Andersonville

Chicago Parklet Designed to Be Flexible and Cost Effective

A newly installed parklet in Chicago is part of a larger program to engage the city’s public spaces.

November 12, 2018 - Next City

Illinois

Post-Amazon Chicago: Mayor Seeks $1.7 Billion in Subsidies for Downtown Developments

Making the case that proposed developments won't come to fruition with support from tax increment financing, Mayor Rahm Emanuel is moving quickly to shore up development plans now that Amazon has moved on.

November 7, 2018 - Chicago Tribune

Chicago El Tracks

Are Chicago's Transit Oriented Developments Generating Enough Affordable Housing?

Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood is the scene for a very contemporary land use policy debate: how much affordable housing can cultivated from the development opportunities in proximity to transit lines?

November 6, 2018 - Chicago Tribune

Chicago Divvy Bikeshare

Chicago Wants Bike Sharing to Reach All Parts of City

The city recently received a grant that will help it grow its bike-share network, particularly into areas that have been underserved.

November 4, 2018 - WTTW

Englewood Southside Neighborhood

Chicago's Low Income Neighborhoods Face Worst Pollution, Study Finds

A report from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) found that Chicago's South and West sides face more air pollution than the wealthier parts of the city.

October 31, 2018 - Chicago Sun Times

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.