Crain's Chicago Business

Wood-framed four-story building under construction.

What Drives the High Cost of Affordable Housing

A combination of ineffective funding mechanisms, strict building regulations, and inflation are pushing per-unit construction costs higher.

January 23, 2024 - Crain's Chicago Business

Chicago elevated train over busy city street surrounded by high-rise buildings

Chicagoland Transit Agencies Call for State Funding as Budget Shortfall Looms

Illinois transit agencies want to see changes to a law requiring them to collect half of their revenue from transit fares, arguing that low ridership and staffing shortages will lead to a massive budget gap without intervention.

March 24, 2023 - Crain's Chicago Business

Gold Coast and Old Town

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.

June 29, 2021 - Crain's Chicago Business

Basement Apartment

Illinois Could Force Statewide Legislation of Accessory Dwelling Units

State legislation would preempt local governments that block the construction of accessory dwelling units, known locally as coach houses, to increase the supply of affordable housing options in the state.

March 5, 2020 - Crain's Chicago Business

Street Design

Op-Ed: Good Design Isn't Just for Downtowns

Richard Driehaus attests to the importance of intentional, context-oriented design on the neighborhood level.

June 16, 2019 - Crain's Chicago Business

Surveying

Private Golf Courses Closing in Chicago's Suburbs

Failing golf courses pose a choice for cities that can use tax dollars to turn them public or put the land to use in other ways.

June 12, 2019 - Crain's Chicago Business

Chicago River

Tribune Megasite Could Transform Downtown Chicago

A huge piece of real estate along the Chicago River is primed to host a new mixed-use campus.

February 23, 2019 - Crain's Chicago Business

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

North Lake Shore Drive

Bus Lane Proposed for Chicago's Famous Lake Shore Drive

Chicago's buses are getting slower. Putting dedicated bus lanes on the drive could speed buses up, and a growing coalition supports the idea of dedicated bus lanes on one of Chicago's busiest thoroughfares.

April 20, 2018 - Crain's Chicago Business

The Windy City

More Homes Underwater in Chicago Than Other U.S. Cities

One in ten Chicago homes is currently underwater, more than double the national average.

March 22, 2018 - Crain's Chicago Business

Hospital Signs

Chicago Hospitals Could House Homeless Patients

Given the fact that many homeless patients end up costing the system a lot more than average, several Chicago hospitals are considering ways to house them.

January 24, 2018 - Crain's Chicago Business

Chicago Developers Replacing Four-Plus-Ones with Single-Family Homes

A piece of Chicago development history as disappearing, as well as some of the city's uniquely urban density, as developers convert four-plus-ones into single-family homes.

July 14, 2017 - Crain's Chicago Business

North Lake Shore Drive

Ambitions for North Lake Shore Drive Coming Into Focus in Chicago

Has Daniel Burnham-style planning returned to Chicago? The Redefine the Drive process so far seems like a resounding affirmation of 'magic to stir [women and] men's blood.'

July 13, 2017 - Crain's Chicago Business

Downtown, now

Sign of the Times: Developers Deconverting Condos Back to Apartments in Chicago

In the 1970s and 1980s, condo conversions were all the rage in Chicago. In 2017, however, developers are scooping up multi-family buildings en masse and "deconverting" condo units into apartments.

June 2, 2017 - Crain's Chicago Business

The Windy City

Black Chicagoans Segregated, Regardless of Income

Latino Chicagoans are more likely to live in diverse neighborhoods than whites or blacks do.

May 24, 2017 - Crain's Chicago Business

Cook County Land Bank Expands Vacancy Program, Offers 4,400 Lots for Sale

The vacant lot program at the Cook County Land Bank Authority recently kicked into high gear—offering a huge number of vacant lots for sale, located around 27 neighborhoods and suburbs in the Chicago region.

February 20, 2017 - Crain's Chicago Business

Chicago Blues

Chicago Could Lose the Blues

An editorial in Crain's suggests that by not taking full advantage of its history with the Blues, Chicago is wasting a precious cultural resource and missing an opportunity for tourism dollars.

January 26, 2017 - Crain's Chicago Business

Union Station Chicago

First on Chicago's Wish List from the Trump Administration: $1 Billion for Union Station

The Emanuel Administration has yet to secure needed funding for a big project to update Chicago's Union Station. Now it's up to the Trump Administration to supply a needed loan.

January 14, 2017 - Crain's Chicago Business

Chicago

The Big Ideas Behind the Proposed 'Chicago Transit Redevelopment Trust'

The Chicago Central Area Committee has thrown its hand into the ring for the "100&Change" grant from the MacArthur Foundation.

October 28, 2016 - Crain's Chicago Business

Amazon Warehouse

Chicago's Warehouse Building Boom

Online shopping and gentrification is fueling a bona fide building boom of warehouse spaces in Chicago.

August 30, 2016 - Crain's Chicago Business

News from HUD User

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Call for Speakers

Mpact Transit + Community

New Updates on PD&R Edge

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Websites

The best of the Internet—since 2002.

Top Apps

Planning apps for a brave new world.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

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.