Illinois

Close-up of red Amtrak Borealis train at station.

Amtrak’s Borealis Exceeds First Year Ridership Expectations

205,800 passengers have boarded the St. Paul to Chicago line, well above initial MDOT projections.

June 5, 2025 - Minneapolis Star-Tribune

Pedestrian holding visual impairment cane pressing crosswalk button.

Chicago Judge Orders Thousands of Accessible Ped Signals

Only 3% of the city's crossing signals are currently accessible to blind pedestrians.

June 4, 2025 - DRA Legal

High view of Chicago train on elevated rail in downtown with reflective glass building on left and brick building on right.

Chicago Transit: $770M Shortfall, 40% Service Cuts Loom

Despite dire warnings from transit officials, the Illinois General Assembly ended its legislative session without a solution.

June 3, 2025 - Smart Cities Dive

Chicago Transit

Time Running Out for Illinois Transit Bill

Chicago-area transit agencies face a daunting budget gap if lawmakers fail to agree on a funding bill by the end of the current legislative session.

May 29, 2025 - Streetsblog Chicago

Cyclists riding on green painted bike lane protected by flexible post delineators in Chicago, Illinois.

Growing up Car-Free in Chicago

One Chicago youth recounts their experience growing up in a car-free household.

May 27, 2025 - Streetsblog Chicago

Aerial view of Chicago with river in foreground.

Chicago Approves Green Affordable Housing Plan

The Mayor’s plan calls for creating a nonprofit housing corporation tasked with building affordable housing that meets Green Building standards.

May 8, 2025 - CBS News Chicago

Turquoise blue water in Lake Michigan on tranquil sandy shoreline.

Scientists Studying Artificial Reefs as Flood Mitigation in Great Lakes

Artificial reefs could offer a ‘softer’ flood management and erosion solution that doesn’t disrupt the flow of sediment.

April 8, 2025 - Inside Climate News

Rendering of National Public Housing Museum in brick building in Chicago, Illinois.

Museum of Public Housing Opens in Chicago

The museum highlights the history of public housing in the United States using displays intimately woven with family artifacts.

April 2, 2025 - Block Club Chicago

White CTA bus and elevated train against sunset sky in downtown Chicago, Illinois.

Chicago Transit Agencies on Brink of Major Crisis

Without additional funding, regional transit agencies will be forced to cut services by 40 percent.

March 25, 2025 - Mass Transit

Close-up of speed camera against blue sky.

Data Shows Chicago Speed Cameras Reduce Speeding, Crashes

Countering claims made by the Chicago Tribune that automated enforcement doesn’t improve safety, Streetsblog Chicago lays out the data showing how traffic safety fared in camera zones.

March 11, 2025 - Streetsblog Chicago

Informational plaque in front of paved walkway next to tall green trees in Black Hawk State Historic Site, Illinois.

Supporting Indigenous Land Reclamation Through Design

Harvard students collaborated with the Sac and Fox Nation to develop strategies for reclaiming and co-managing ancestral lands in Illinois, supporting Indigenous sovereignty through design, cultural storytelling, and economic planning.

March 4, 2025 - Harvard GSD

Public transit bus on Chicago street with tall historic buildings in background.

Study: Most Chicago Rideshare Trips Could Be Made by Transit

Researchers found that 99 percent of rideshare trips could be made by buses and trains — but the time savings roughly equal an hour’s wage.

February 24, 2025 - Cities Today

Spanish-style arch over street reading 'Bienvenidos a Little Village" in Chicago, Illinois at golden hour.

Chicago Latino Corridor Hollowed Out Amid Deportation Fears

Foot traffic and business in the largely Latino Little Village neighborhood declined by as much as 50 percent, with many businesses staying closed on Tuesday.

January 23, 2025 - Bloomberg

View up at Chicago elevated train line with train passing and glass high-rises in background.

Chicago Transit Leaders Call for $1.5B Funding Package

Public transit across the Chicagoland region could suffer massive cuts without additional funding.

January 19, 2025 - Bloomberg CityLab

Close-up of town of blue Divvy bike share bikes parked at station in Chicago, Illinois.

Chicago Sees Record Shared Bike, Scooter Use

Riders took over 11 million bike share and scooter trips in 2024.

January 14, 2025 - Streetsblog Chicago

Close-up of yellow pedestrian crossing signal button with text "Push button for accessible signal" and diagram of person holding cane, indicating blindness.

Chicago Made Hundreds of Accessibility Upgrades in 2024

The city has improved over 200 bus stops and 400 of its nearly 3,000 intersections to make them safer for people with disabilities.

January 1, 2025 - City of Chicago

Aerial view of construction site with yellow dump truck and heavy machinery.

National Brownfields Training Conference: Driving Sustainable Redevelopment

The conference will bring together diverse stakeholders to share knowledge, strategies, and resources for the remediation and sustainable redevelopment of contaminated properties, fostering economic growth and environmental restoration.

December 31, 2024 - Brownfields 2025 Conference

Close-up of round blue, white, and red Chigato Transit Authority "cta" logo on exterior of building.

Chicago Transit Authority Announces Service Boosts Ahead of NYE

The agency says it will reach pre-pandemic service levels by the end of the year.

December 30, 2024 - Streetsblog Chicago

Silver train on elevated rail in Chicago, Illinois.

Chicago Secures Funding for Southside L Extension

The city was awarded almost $2 billion to build four new stations in Southside neighborhoods long underserved by transit.

December 29, 2024 - Fast Company

Small trees on city sidewlak with glass buildings in background.

Cities Prioritize Urban Reforestation to Combat Heat and Revitalize Communities

Cities like Phoenix, Chicago, and Boise are prioritizing urban reforestation as critical green infrastructure to combat extreme heat, address environmental inequities, and foster community revitalization.

December 20, 2024 - USGBC

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.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

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