Illinois
Transportation Journalism Suffers Losses in 2015
Transportation readers who prefer reading a less auto-centric perspective of issues will see losses this year, as budgetary constraints at Streetsblog caused the layoff of Tanya Snyder of Streetsblog USA and the temporary loss of Streetsblog Chicago.
Urban Agriculture Projects in Chicago Show the Way
Successful Chicago urban agriculture projects on rooftop, in edible lawn, and at a school reviewed by resilience consultant Dave Hampton.
Explained: How CTA Heat Lamps Warm Commuters
Much of the United States went through a cold snap in recent days. How many of you transit commuters sought refuge under heat lamps this week?
Mapping Chicago's Current Wave of Transit Oriented Development Projects
Patrick Sisson reports on the fruits of a 2013 effort by the city of Chicago to codify transit oriented development.

Everybody Loves Dive Bars—So Why Aren't They Easier to Protect?
An Esquire article about the disappearance of neighborhood dive bars in cities like Chicago asks why people to support their local watering hole.
Op-Ed Criticizes Dog Owners' Use of Public Spaces in Chicago
A scathing op-ed by Joanne Cleaver provides a laundry list of public spaces and parks in Chicago spoiled, in her opinion, by heavy use from the canine companions of residents.
Chicago Moving Forward with Residential High Rise Designed by Robert A.M. Stern
The Chicago Plan Commission approved a 67-story residential high rise earlier this month, as the latest evidence of the city's changing skyline.
Op-Ed: Put Chicago on a Road Diet
"The city should consider road diets for all streets with excess car capacity, although they're not always politically easy," writes John Greenfield.

Big Cities Make Pedestrian Safety a Priority
New data released Dec. 19 by NHTSA shows increased safety for those traveling by car, but pedestrian fatalities are 15% higher than in 2009. Plans by San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago to increase ped safety are described by the WSJ.

Details on Chicago's First Shared Street
Planners are crafting the details of Chicago's first shared street, where pedestrians will rule.
Charting the Decline of Chicago's Middle-Class Neighborhoods
A post on the Chicago magazine site dives into research showing how Chicago has segregated by income since the 1970s.
An In-Depth Look at the Indiana Toll Road Bankruptcy
Angie Schmitt and Payton Chung have created a three-part series on the Indiana Toll Road and how its example informs the use of private finance to build and maintain highways.
Whole Foods Moving into a Food Desert in Chicago's Englewood Neighborhood
Why would Whole Foods—a company colloquially known as "Whole Paycheck" and as a staple of wealthy neighborhoods—open an 18,000-square-foot location in one of the most impoverished parts of Chicago?
Converting Single Room Occupancy Hotels to Market Rate Apartments
Emily Badger discusses a phenomenon of gentrification in Chicago: former single room occupancy hotels, historically reserved for low-income housing, are being converted into market-rate rentals.
Where and Why 'Not In Their Backyard' Becomes a Rallying Cry
We've all heard about NIMBY politics, but what about NITBY? What would prompt some people to adopt a "Not In Their Backyard" stance?
Revealed: Proposed Designs for Chicago's Lucas Museum of Narrative Art
Beijing's MAD Architects have unveiled their preliminary design for Chicago's Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, inspiring no shortage of commentary in the process.

How Affordable Housing Can Compete
With the backing of powerful nonprofit and for-profit investors, the Housing Partnership Equity Trust is making waves with its triple bottom line approach to affordable housing. More importantly, it’s making money.
Op-Ed: Expand Chicago's Transit Beyond its Successful Status Quo
Yonah Freemark writes an op-ed that argues for the Chicago Transit Authority to do more than maintain the status quo.

Are Single Family Teardowns a Sign of Suburban Gentrification?
Luxury condos are often identified as the culprit in urban gentrification, but could it be that teardowns of single family homes that give way to much larger single family homes is a driver of suburban gentrification?

$3.2 Million Bid for 6,000 Foreclosed Properties in Detroit Auction
Karin Weise reports that an anonymous bidder will pay $3.2 million to purchase 6,000 foreclose homes in Detroit.
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)