Illinois
Op-Ed: Metra Expansion May Encourage Sprawl
The $45 billion transportation bill approved by the Illinois Legislature ended up including more public transit funding than it originally offered, but a Kendall County Metra project raises questions.
Debating the Merits of Hydrogen and Batteries for Buses
To switch to fully electric bus fleets, transit agencies can invest in batteries and hydrogen fuel cells. Both have their advantages.
Op-Ed: Good Design Isn't Just for Downtowns
Richard Driehaus attests to the importance of intentional, context-oriented design on the neighborhood level.
Many Contender Sites for Chicago Casino
The decision about where to locate a new casino project depends on competing goals—to maximize revenues or bring jobs and development to neighborhoods that need them.
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.
O'Hare Tunnel, Proposed by Elon Musk, Looks Dead on Arrival in Chicago's New Political Regime
Advocates are relieved Elon Musk's proposal to build a new subterranean connection to O'Hare is dead, but still disappointed at the wasted brainpower and public funding devoted to the idea.
Dakota Access Pipeline Owners Win Eminent Domain Appeal in Iowa Supreme Court
The Iowa Supreme Court affirmed a lower court ruling that found that the Iowa Utilities Board was justified in giving the private owners of the Dakota Access Pipeline the use of eminent domain. Climate change was considered in the ruling.
To Fix Roads, Bridges, and Public Buildings, Illinois Decides to 'Think Big'
First-term Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker succeeded in building support for his $45 billion, "think big" capital investment agenda in the Illinois State Legislature.
The Many Nicknames for Chicago's Elevated Railway
The el/El/L debate has never been resolved, but the CTA says its usage is the correct one.
Endangered Historic Places of the United States
The National Trust for Historic Preservation today announced its list of the 11 most endangered historic places in the country.
How Much Should Electric Vehicles Be Charged in Lieu of Gas Tax?
Currently, electric vehicles pay a $17.50 annual registration fee in Illinois. A bill to double the 19 cents per gallon gas tax, unchanged in almost 30 years, would also increase the EV fee over 57-fold to $1,000.
State Supreme Court Upholds Food Truck Regulations in Chicago
A question of whose business is suppressing whose in the city of Chicago was decided by the State Supreme Court.
Evaluating the Planning and Development Record of Rahm Emanuel
Mayor Rahm Emanuel came into office in Chicago from the Obama White House. Before a new takes office mayor, on May 20, Curbed looked back at Emanuel's track record on matters related to planning.
The Threat of Urban Flooding in Chicago
Chicago residents living in low-lying parts of the city dread the rainfall that too often brings flooding.
Design Thinking Needs a Broader Perspective
A design-focused study of mode choice doesn’t consider the many ways people interact with and travel through urban environments.
Smart Cities Should Also Be Inclusive and Accessible Cities
The Inclusive Innovation Playbook provides guidance about how to create smart cities without leaving anyone behind.
New Airport Proposed for Chicago Suburbs Has Supporters and Doubters
Questions raised by a proposal to build a new airport 37 miles south of Downtown Chicago: Does the region even need a new airport? And would this particular airport proposal serve to induce more sprawl in the region?
Bolstering Urban Resilience in Chicago
The city’s resilience plan seeks to identify shocks and stresses while fostering equity and community.
On-Demand Shuttle Expands Service Area in Chicago
Via will now operate in a much larger portion of Chicago.
How Mega-Project Financing Tools Gerrymander Distressed Communities
The developers of Hudson Yards received $1.2 billion in financing from the EB-5 program, all made possible by a map that gerrymandered the project into the same neighborhood as Harlem public housing.
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
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority
