Illinois

Amtrak’s Borealis Exceeds First Year Ridership Expectations
205,800 passengers have boarded the St. Paul to Chicago line, well above initial MDOT projections.

Chicago Judge Orders Thousands of Accessible Ped Signals
Only 3% of the city's crossing signals are currently accessible to blind pedestrians.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

Chicago Transit Agencies on Brink of Major Crisis
Without additional funding, regional transit agencies will be forced to cut services by 40 percent.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Chicago Transit Leaders Call for $1.5B Funding Package
Public transit across the Chicagoland region could suffer massive cuts without additional funding.

Chicago Sees Record Shared Bike, Scooter Use
Riders took over 11 million bike share and scooter trips in 2024.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.
Pagination
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.
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)