Chicago
Celebrating Chicago's Must-See Public Realm (Part 1)
Chicago has recently opened some of the most exciting urban landscapes we have seen in a while. And, as with New York and other cities, landscape architects are leading the charge.
'Grow Chicago' Shows the How and Why of Transit Oriented Development
Chicago's Metropolitan Planning Council has released a new toolbox full of interactive features intended to assist transit oriented development.
All-White Neighborhoods Are Nearly Extinct; All-Black Neighborhoods Persist
The good news is that middle-class suburbs are becoming increasingly integrated. However, a closer look at the migration patterns of whites and minorities reveals a more complex picture, rife with racism.
Mayor Emanuel Would Freeze TIF Districts in Downtown Chicago
Mayor Rahm Emanuel proposed a plan that would save $250 million for schools and city operations at the cost of one of the city's most powerful funding mechanisms.
Op-Ed: Airport Express Train Unnecessary in Chicago
Plans to construct a prestigious express line to O'Hare airport may be overkill. The existing Blue Line, which could benefit from some investment, already connects downtown Chicago and the airport.
Architecture Critic Finds Faults in Chicago Placemaking
Architecture Critic Blair Kamin wants more from Make Way for People, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel's placemaking program, and finds faults with the Lincoln Hub as an example of tactical urbanism.
Controversy Emerges Over Chicago's Polka Dot Intersection
Local residents are upset with the effects of the placemaking installment in Chicago, opened this spring—namely slower traffic and a polka dot color scheme. An article in DNAinfo points out that slowing traffic was kind of the point.
Chicago's Golden Goose
Once known as "Little Hell" for its copious industrial plants, Goose Island is a rare, relatively undeveloped investment opportunity. Centrally located, it may one day house swanky offices.
Big Challenges Ahead for Chicago's O'Hare Airport
After spending $10 billion since 2005 on capital improvements, Chicago's O'Hare is still losing business to competitors along with the battle of public opinion.
The Man Who Made Chicago Easy to Navigate
Edward Brennan waged an extended turn-of-the-century campaign to clean up Chicago's then-confusing address numbering system. Though few recognize his name, Brennan's legacy lives on in modern Chicago.
Flooding Provides a Scare for Chicago's Two New Public Spaces
The damage could have been a lot worse, but surely flooding that temporarily closed down the Chicago Riverwalk and The 606 elevated bikeway will require additional evaluation by project planners and engineers.
Meet the 606: Chicago's New Elevated Bikeway and Park
Following in the footsteps of the High Line in New York City, Chicago opened a 2.7-mile elevated park, which has already been extremely popular in its first week. Here we round up the initial reactions to The 606, as the new park is called.
New Section of the Chicago Riverwalk Open to the Public
A newly opened section of the Chicago Riverwalk lets the public get up close and personal with the Chicago River. And there's more to come.
Trendy Chicago Taco Bell to Serve Alcoholic Drinks
Would you like a cerveza with that? A hip neighborhood in Chicago will play host to the first alcohol-serving Taco Bell. Isolated incident, or the future of fast food?
To Protect Pedestrians, Keep the Cameras
Active Transportation Alliance, a Chicago pedestrian advocacy group, urges Mayor Rahm Emanuel to improve red light cameras rather than remove them. Despite complaints from drivers, well-advertised cameras can reduce pedestrian fatalities.
Environmental Review Backs Flyover Plans for El Tracks on Chicago's Northside
After an initial proposal a year ago, prompting immediate and strong criticism, the Chicago Transit Authority has completed its environmental assessment of a proposal designed to improve service capacity at the infamous bottleneck of Clark Junction.
How Urban Diversity Equals Neighborhood Segregation
Statistics sage Nate Silver crunches the numbers illustrating the relationship between U.S. cities' overall diversity and their neighborhood diversity. His conclusion: the greater diversity, the greater the segregation.
State Bill Would Add TIFs Along Transit Lines in Chicago
Expanded use of tax increment financing is on the table in Chicago—a city that invests less than its peers on building and running transit.
Welcome to the 'Age of Animals as Infrastructure'
Animals are more than just guests or co-habitants in our cities, according to an article in New Scientist—they're a critical component of the infrastructure that keeps cities running.
Mapping Chicago's 375 Tax Increment Financing Projects
A new mapping project allows new access to information about Chicago's controversial tax increment financing mechanism. Now at least the debate will include visuals.
Pagination
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 Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority