Chicago

$1 Large Lot Sales Underway in Chicago

For sale in Chicago for $1: city-owned lots in Southside neighborhoods. The idea, which has been implemented in Chicago before, is to get more land in the hands of neighborhood residents and stakeholders.

April 6, 2014 - Chicago Sun-Times

Tracking Chicago’s Potholes

A new animated map presents the reported cases of potholes in Chicago since November—the maps colorful and provides insights into how the city, and our relationship to it, can change with time.

April 4, 2014 - Chicago Tribune

Legal Battle Over Transportation Network Companies Shifts to Chicago

Chicago political leaders are floating a pair of competing bills that would regulate transportation network companies like Uber, Lyft, and Sidecar. Cab companies are pushing for legislation, seeking a “level playing field” in the market.

March 27, 2014 - Crain's Chicago Business

Wheels Up for Chicago’s Navy Pier Flyover

Chicago recently began construction on the $60 million Navy Pier Flyover—an elevated bike and pedestrian path built along Lake Michigan near the Navy Pier.

March 24, 2014 - Chicago Tribune

Checking in on Chicago’s Riverwalk Extension Plans

The already brilliant city of Chicago is soon to get another big draw—the extension of a riverwalk promenade between State and Lake streets.

March 21, 2014 - Chi.Streetsblog

Chicago skyline

A Tale of Two Chicagos

Acknowledging that many neighborhoods in Chicago have seen dramatic improvements in livability and income levels, one writer could still identify two Chicagos: “Global Chicago” and “Rust Belt Chicago.”

March 19, 2014 - The Corner Side Yard

Cleveland, Ohio

'Brain Drain' Surprise: Cleveland vs. Chicago

Comparing the demographic changes of Cleveland and Chicago, the results might surprise you: “Cleveland (Cuyahoga County) is experiencing brain gain. Chicago (Cook County) has brain drain.”

March 15, 2014 - Pacific Standard

First Transportation Plan Since 1940 Launches in Chicago’s Cook County

Cook County is in the early stages of public outreach for its first transportation plan since the 1940 “Highway Plan for Cook County.”

March 10, 2014 - Chi.Streetsblog

New Documentary Miniseries Captures Chicago

The Second City does not suffer for picturesque vantage points or large personalities, making it a natural fit for CNN to study in a new documentary miniseries.

March 7, 2014 - Atlantic Cities

How to Gain 21 Million Transit Trips a Year in Chicago?

At a recent hearing of the Northeastern Illinois Public Transit Task Force, experts like Peter Skosey made the case for the types of changes necessary to meet Chicago’s goals for increased transit ridership, focusing on transit oriented development.

March 6, 2014 - Chi.Streetsblog

How the Ashland BRT Would Change Chicago

The proposed Ashland Bus Rapid Transit line in Chicago, the latest effort in an ambitious multi-modal transportation investment plan by Mayor Rahm Emanuel and former Chicago DOT Commissioner Gabe Klein, is a game changer for an already unique city.

February 28, 2014 - The Atlantic Cities

The Case for Bus Rapid Transit

Bus rapid transit (BRT) is well known among planners as a cheap method to improve bus service and provide an alternative to rail, but BRT projects around the country have met resistance from an array of status quo interests.

February 26, 2014 - Atlantic Cities

Mapping Transit "Deserts": An Imperfect Science

The first step to solving the transit “desert” problem is identifying where those deserts are. But that’s easier said than done.

February 9, 2014 - Atlantic Cities

The Mythical Search for 'Congruity' in the City

In the eighth installment of the Urban Juxtapositions series profiled in Planetizen on January 16, Chuck Wolfe asks if we are using the right language when it comes to densifying urban spaces.

February 1, 2014 - myurbanist

Learning from Chicago's Schools

As the north side of Chicago has gentrified, many Chicago schools' test scores have improved- evidence that if a city neighborhood attracts enough affluent families, its schools will become more attractive as well.

January 24, 2014 - Michael Lewyn

South Lake Shore Drive Extended in Chicago; Huge Mixed-Use Development to Follow

The October opening of a new 1.9-mile stretch of road on Chicago’s Southside anticipates a 40-year master plan for the Lakeside development—600 acres of new development in the middle of one of the country’s largest cities.

January 24, 2014 - The Architect's Newspaper

Chicago Bungalows

Chicago's Ubiquitous Housing Type Turns 100

As Chicago's population surged in the second decade of the 20th century, one dominant single-family housing type spread across the city. Over the next year the Historic Chicago Bungalow Association will celebrate these distinctive homes.

January 7, 2014 - WBEZ

Chicago Doesn't Have to Look Far to Find New DOT Chief

When Mayor Rahm Emanuel sought out his first transportation chief, he lured Gabe Klein from Washington D.C. This week it was announced that Klein's successor had been found much closer to home: the city's transit authority.

January 2, 2014 - Chi.Streetsblog

Petroleum's Coke Problem Plagues Chicago

Petroleum coke or petcoke, similar to coal, is a nasty though salable byproduct of the oil refining process. Produced from refining tar sands crude in Indiana refineries, it is stored in huge piles in Chicago, blowing dust in the Southeast Side.

December 28, 2013 - NPR Morning Edition

Design for Prentice Hospital's Replacement Unveiled

When architecture enthusiasts lost their battle to preserve Bertrand Goldberg's iconic Prentice Women's Hospital in Chicago, many turned their hopes to the design of a fittingly stunning replacement. Will the new design fill the architectural void?

December 16, 2013 - ArchDaily

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.

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.

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