Chicago
The United States' Top Large City for Biking Is...
Portland (top city in 2012)? Minneapolis (top city in 2010)? No, it's the Big Apple! New York City leaped from #7 in 2012 to the top spot this year for cities with populations of 100,000 or greater.
Does Chicago Have the 'Divvy Blues'?
A recent article details some of the complaints about the lack of reach and bikes in Chicago's growing and popular Divvy bikeshare system.
$102 Million Brings Chicago-St. Louis High Speed Rail a Step Closer
A $102 million investment by Illinois along with federal funds from the Recovery Act will pay for double-tracking and a new rail bridge to enable 109 mph service on a key section of Amtrak's Chicago to St. Louis high speed rail corridor.
Watch: How the Chicago Riverwalk Project Will Transform the City
Sasaki Associates has produced a video about the under-construction Chicago Riverwalk. The lesson for all cities from the video, as well as the project: "If you can imagine it, you can built it."
Chicago Parks District Offers Opportunities to Camp in the Urban Wild
Camping isn't for everyone, but everyone who wants to camp should get an opportunity to. A growing program run by the Chicago Park District allows residents to heed the call of the wild, right inside the city.
Chicago Metra Rail Struggles with High Rates of Suicide
Chicago's Metra commuter rail service has a big problem on its hands: Distressed people are resorting to using train tracks to end their lives at a higher rate than in other major cities. Would partnering with a suicide-hotline agency stem the tide?
A Planner's Guide to Chicago
Pete Saunders, blogger with the Corner Side Yard and professional planning consultant, wrote a post explaining Chicago for the U.K. publication Guardian Cities.
Op-Ed: Chicago's Washington Park a Perfect Fit for TIF
An op-ed in the Chicago Tribune addresses the long history of tax increment financing abuse in Chicago, but supports a proposed TIF district for Washington Park.
Divvy Expands Bike-Sharing Stations
Adding 175 new stations by Spring 2015, the Divvy expansion would add 1,750 bicycles to the system in wards further away from the downtown core.
Can Chicago's Tech Boom Benefit the South Side?
With tech businesses setting up shop in Chicago's Loop, what it will take to attract companies out to neighborhoods like Garfield Park and Englewood?
Study uses Google Street View to Assess Gentrification
By assessing three different groups of indicators, researchers were able to tour thousands of blocks in Chicago through Google Street View and compare visual signs of reinvestment and renewal between 2007 and 2009.
Study Identifies Chicago's 'Transit Deserts'
A new report challenges assumptions about Chicago's transit system, identifying well-populated neighborhoods that are cut off from frequent transit service.
A Buffer is Better
What's the best street design to keep bicyclists safely out of the door zone? A buffered bike lane beats a conventional bike lane or "wide curb lane" according to a recent study published in TRB, based on observations in Chicago and Cambridge, Mass.
Does Too-Plentiful Parking Spark Wild Parties at Chicago's Montrose Beach?
Parking is at the center of proposed urban design and planning responses a recent melee at Montrose Beach in Chicago, which followed an un-permitted concert.
Speed Cameras: Working in Chicago; Needed in Philadelphia
In Chicago, speed cameras are proving effective at reducing speeds; in Philadelphia, a police commissioner is lobbying the state to allow the implementation of the cameras.
How Park Design Helps Keep Communities Healthy
A review of the healthiest cities in the United States establishes that urban parks play a vital role in the activity of a city. What conclusions can be drawn from each city?
Skyscraper Envy?
Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) expressed irritation that Chicago is no longer a world-class city when it comes to building heights. The issue arose during a Senate floor discussion on the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act. Chicago's Willis Tower ranks #11.
Celebrating Millennium Park's 10th Anniversary with Esoteric Trivia
Millennium Park in Chicago had its grand opening on July 16, 2004. Now, ten years later, it's one of the country's most treasured, visited, and photographed public spaces.
A Call for Local Architects to 'Redefine the Drive' in Chicago
A local architect produced a DIY design to push the Illinois Department of Transportation to think big with the "Redefine the Drive" project on North Lake Shore Drive. With the proposal: invitations for more local designers to participate.
Celebrating Public Art: Chicago in the Summer
What's better than a great plaza in the summer? Some compelling public art to go along with it.
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
