Chicago

Chicago's New Strategic Plan for Transportation Prioritizes Equity and Accountability
The plan calls for safer streets, more equitable distribution of resources, and expanded community engagement.

Chicago Faces its Own Climate Challenges
Historically stable Lake Michigan has seen its water levels fluctuate dramatically over the last decade, posing increasingly urgent threats to lakeside property and causing severe droughts and flooding.

Motorists Sue Chicago Parking Meter Operator
A lawsuit claims a company's 75-year contract to manage the city of Chicago's parking meters amounts to an "unreasonable" monopoly.

Chicago's Lake Shore Drive Renamed to Honor Black Pioneer
Introducing Jean Baptiste Point DuSable Lake Shore Drive, renamed to honor the first non-indigenous settler of Chicago.

Black Developers in Chicago Band Together to 'Buy Back the Block'
A group of developers joined efforts to purchase a dozen adjacent lots with plans to build affordable housing and create local jobs.

Strong Demand in the First Month of Chicago's Coach House Pilot Program
The first month of a three-year pilot program that legalizes the construction and conversion of coach houses—a local form of accessory dwelling unit—is responding to strong demand in Chicago.

2020 Population Growth Rates for the 50 Biggest U.S. Cities
The Census Bureau released new data on May 27 that includes the first four months of the pandemic. Seattle tops the growth rate at 2.2% from July 1, 2019, to July 1, 2020, while Baltimore and San Francisco land at the bottom with -1.4%.

Chicago's Disappearing Multi-Unit Buildings
The city is seeing a rapid loss of its signature two-, three-, and four-flat residential buildings, which historically served as affordable housing for working-class families.

Chicago to Install More Protected Bike Lanes
Chicago's transportation commissioner says the city's transportation department is exploring options for keeping cars out of bike lanes, such as raised curbs.

The Miseducation of Cities
A review of the provocative new book by Davarian L. Baldwin, In the Shadow of the Ivory Tower.

Chicago Planning Department Rejects 'Overparked' Six Corners Proposal
In a decision that is still impossible in most of the country, Chicago's Department of Planning and Development is requiring housing and reduced surface parking to approve a retail project.

Chicago DOT Strategic Plan Update Centers Mobility Justice
The city, which has been slow to implement complete streets initiatives during the pandemic, promises closer collaboration with community groups to advance equity in transportation.

Chicago's Esteemed Architecture Critic, Blair Kamin, Moves On
One of two architecture critics working at major daily newspapers to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism, Blair Kamin announced his retirement last week via Twitter.

One Big Step Forward, One Small Step Back for Chicago Red Line Extension
A big approval and a significant delay—but otherwise 2020 has been a positive year for plans to extend the Chicago Transit Authority's Red Line by 5.6 miles to the south.

Fighting No-Fault Evictions With a Just Cause Ordinance
Despite a statewide eviction moratorium, thousands of people have been evicted in Chicago since March. A coalition of housing advocates is proposing a just cause ordinance that would halt no-fault evictions.

'Anti-Conversion Ordinance' Considered in Chicago
New zoning controls would make it harder to convert multi-unit residential buildings into single-family homes to prevent displacement in single-family neighborhoods in Chicago.

Lessons From the Viral Video of Lake Michigan Taking Out a Bike Commuter
Climate change will only increase the frequency of incidents like the one captured by a television news station in Chicago earlier this week.

Red Line Extension to Chicago's Far South Side Making Steady Progress
A transit extension envisioned since the 1950s is this year making steady, tangible progress in the Windy City.

New Approach to Capital Investment Expected in Chicago
Mayor Lori Lightfoot is readying a new capital investment plan that will spur the local economy and change the way the city apportions its infrastructure funding.

Massive Residential Development Revealed in Chicago's Near North Side
New details have emerged on a project the Chicago Tribune is calling this one of Chicago's most ambitious development proposals in decades.
Pagination
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