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Watch: How the Chicago Riverwalk Project Will Transform the City

Sasaki Associates has produced a video about the under-construction Chicago Riverwalk. The lesson for all cities from the video, as well as the project: "If you can imagine it, you can built it."

September 3, 2014 - The Architect's Newspaper

Chicago Parks District Offers Opportunities to Camp in the Urban Wild

Camping isn't for everyone, but everyone who wants to camp should get an opportunity to. A growing program run by the Chicago Park District allows residents to heed the call of the wild, right inside the city.

August 31, 2014 - Chicago Tribune

Chicago Metra Rail Struggles with High Rates of Suicide

Chicago's Metra commuter rail service has a big problem on its hands: Distressed people are resorting to using train tracks to end their lives at a higher rate than in other major cities. Would partnering with a suicide-hotline agency stem the tide?

August 30, 2014 - Governing

Chicago El

A Planner's Guide to Chicago

Pete Saunders, blogger with the Corner Side Yard and professional planning consultant, wrote a post explaining Chicago for the U.K. publication Guardian Cities.

August 27, 2014 - Guardian Cities

Op-Ed: Chicago's Washington Park a Perfect Fit for TIF

An op-ed in the Chicago Tribune addresses the long history of tax increment financing abuse in Chicago, but supports a proposed TIF district for Washington Park.

August 26, 2014 - Chicago Tribune

Divvy Expands Bike-Sharing Stations

Adding 175 new stations by Spring 2015, the Divvy expansion would add 1,750 bicycles to the system in wards further away from the downtown core.

August 22, 2014 - Chicago Tribune

Can Chicago's Tech Boom Benefit the South Side?

With tech businesses setting up shop in Chicago's Loop, what it will take to attract companies out to neighborhoods like Garfield Park and Englewood?

August 18, 2014 - Crain's Chicago Business

Study uses Google Street View to Assess Gentrification

By assessing three different groups of indicators, researchers were able to tour thousands of blocks in Chicago through Google Street View and compare visual signs of reinvestment and renewal between 2007 and 2009.

August 7, 2014 - Gizmodo

International Effort Needed to Prevent Recurrence of Lake Erie Algal Bloom

On Monday, August 4, half a million people in the Toledo, Ohio metro region could once again drink from their water taps after a weekend without safe drinking water due to a toxin resulting from an algal bloom in the city's water supply, Lake Erie.

August 7, 2014 - The Wall Street Journal

Study Identifies Chicago's 'Transit Deserts'

A new report challenges assumptions about Chicago's transit system, identifying well-populated neighborhoods that are cut off from frequent transit service.

August 4, 2014 - Chicago Tribune

A Buffer is Better

What's the best street design to keep bicyclists safely out of the door zone? A buffered bike lane beats a conventional bike lane or "wide curb lane" according to a recent study published in TRB, based on observations in Chicago and Cambridge, Mass.

August 1, 2014 - Chi.Streetsblog

Does Too-Plentiful Parking Spark Wild Parties at Chicago's Montrose Beach?

Parking is at the center of proposed urban design and planning responses a recent melee at Montrose Beach in Chicago, which followed an un-permitted concert.

July 25, 2014 - Chicago Tribune

Speed Cameras: Working in Chicago; Needed in Philadelphia

In Chicago, speed cameras are proving effective at reducing speeds; in Philadelphia, a police commissioner is lobbying the state to allow the implementation of the cameras.

July 22, 2014 - Chi.Streetsblog

Skyscraper Envy?

Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) expressed irritation that Chicago is no longer a world-class city when it comes to building heights. The issue arose during a Senate floor discussion on the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act. Chicago's Willis Tower ranks #11.

July 18, 2014 - Politico

Celebrating Millennium Park's 10th Anniversary with Esoteric Trivia

Millennium Park in Chicago had its grand opening on July 16, 2004. Now, ten years later, it's one of the country's most treasured, visited, and photographed public spaces.

July 18, 2014 - Chicagoland Television

A Call for Local Architects to 'Redefine the Drive' in Chicago

A local architect produced a DIY design to push the Illinois Department of Transportation to think big with the "Redefine the Drive" project on North Lake Shore Drive. With the proposal: invitations for more local designers to participate.

July 10, 2014 - Chi.Streetsblog

Comparing Naperville and Joliet: the Underappreciated Importance of Legacy

Pete Saunders compares the disparate experiences of two Chicago suburbs, Naperville and Joliet, who took different approaches to legacy.

July 3, 2014 - The Corner Side Yard

Updated Plans for Chicago's Memorial to Daniel Burnham

A planned memorial for Chicago architect and planner Daniel Burnham got an upgrade this week in the form of a proposed 1.6-mile interactive walking path and new materials for the site of the memorial.

June 28, 2014 - Chicago Tribune

Chicago Mayor Emanuel Pondering New Sign Regulations in Trump Fallout

Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced his intentions to create ordinances that would prevent future design controversies like the maligned Trump sign above the Chicago River.

June 27, 2014 - Chicago Tribune

George Lucas Chooses Chicago for New Museum Site

Equal parts a stunning victory for Chicago and a breathtaking failure for San Francisco, "Star Wars" director George Lucas has selected Chicago as the site of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art.

June 25, 2014 - Chicago Tribune

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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.