Illinois

Accessory Dwelling Unit

What a Different Approach to ADUs Could Mean for Chicago

Architect Larry Kearns argues that re-legalizing accessory dwelling units in Chicago could do a lot to promote affordable housing and economic diversity.

March 13, 2019 - Chicago Cityscape

Chicago ADA Access

Comic Reveals the Difficulties of Navigating the World With Special Needs

A comic strip called "Spinning Our Wheels' explores the difficulties of navigating Chicago with a special needs child.

March 12, 2019 - Chicago Reader

Electricity Pylon

350-Mile Underground Electricity Transmission Line Would Connect Iowa to Chicago

Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, Jingoli Power, and Siemens Financial Services are pitching underground electricity transmission infrastructure for the midwest.

March 12, 2019 - Des Moines Register

Chicago Bungalows

Mapped: Chicago's Shrinking Middle Class

In 1970, half of the city's census tracts were middle-income. Now, only 16 percent of them remain so. Polarization between the well-off and the poor essentially splits the city in two.

March 3, 2019 - WBEZ 91.5

Shibuya, Tokyo

Dog Parks and Gentrification

When is a dog park more than just a park for dogs?

February 28, 2019 - CityLab

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

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago's Largest-Ever Tax Increment Financing District Approved for Lincoln Yards Development

The new TIF is expected to generate $900 million. Opponents wanted to wait until a new mayor is elected to decide on the TIF.

February 21, 2019 - Chicago Sun-Times

2008 Election

Obama Presidential Center Dealt Legal Setback

There are more than a few reasons to think that the Obama Presidential Center won't go the way of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, which gave up and decamped for Los Angeles.

February 21, 2019 - Chicago Tribune

Illinois Highway 90

Sale of Illinois Tollway Considered to Pay Pension Debt

Gov. J.B. Pritzker has a $134 billion problem in unfunded pension liabilities. Along with several other measures, his administration is considering selling state assets, including the Illinois Tollway, to fill the hole.

February 19, 2019 - Chicago Tribune

Illinois

Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance Proposed in Oak Park, Illinois

The suburb made famous by the likes of Frank Lloyd Wright and Ernest Hemingway is considering an inclusionary zoning ordinance in the hopes of enabling more affordable housing development.

February 14, 2019 - Oak Leaves (Chicago Tribune)

Administration building at the World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago, on opening day, May 1, 1893

Daniel Burnham: Appearing Soon on Television Screens

Make no unbingeable television, or something like that.

February 12, 2019 - Variety

Chicago Lakefront Trail

Legislation Would Require Bird-Safe Designs for New Buildings

Chicago is the home of a political movement to protect birds from the hazards presented by glass-sheathed modern buildings.

February 12, 2019 - Chicago Tribune

Copernicus Sentinel

Friday Eye Candy: A Polar Vortex and an Atmospheric River Leave a Mark

The cities of Chicago and Los Angeles were in rare form after winter storms passed through in recent days.

February 8, 2019 - The Orange County Register

Polar Vortex

When Red States Turn Blue

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has followed the path laid by New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker in joining the U.S. Climate Alliance. All three are new Democratic governors replacing Republican predecessors.

February 7, 2019 - InsideClimate News

Snow Removal

Polar Vortex Shuts Down Detroit's Q-Line Streetcar

Other polar vortex-related transit news included fire on the tracks in Chicago.

January 31, 2019 - Detroit Free Press

Illinois Freeway

Land Use Regulation's Legacy of Racial Segregation

An investigative feature by Governing magazine blames the history of land use regulations like zoning and redlining for the racial segregation of contemporary communities all over the state of Illinois and the country.

January 28, 2019 - Governing

Divvy Chicago

Public Engagement and Bike Share Planning

New York and Chicago asked residents to suggest sites for new docking stations. Most were not put at those locations, but that doesn’t mean collecting public input is not a useful and important part of the planning process, say researchers.

January 22, 2019 - CityLab

Chicago, Illinois

Lincoln Park and the Complicated History of Gentrification in Chicago

The following excerpt, written by Daniel Kay Hertz in the introduction to The Battle of Lincoln Park, challenges assumptions about the forces of gentrification in Chicago, with lessons for communities around the country.

January 22, 2019 - Daniel Kay Hertz

Highway Signs

Chicago's Pace Wants to Put More Buses on the Highway

In a city where bus ridership has been declining for years, Pace has found success on the expressway.

January 18, 2019 - Chicago Tribune

Chicago Aerial

Chicago Music Venue Operators Still Concerned About Lincoln Yards Project

Assurances that the plan will not include large commercial venues have not calmed fears about the future of local independent clubs.

January 18, 2019 - Chicago Tribune

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.

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.