Illinois
Chicago Planning Flyover Fix for North Side El Lines
Fairly sizable funding contingencies still have to be resolved, but the so-called Red-Purple Bypass Project could increase rush hour capacity at a critical North Side junction by 30 percent.
Friday Funny: Goats Love a High Rise
Part funny, part amusing, and part just plain cool, goat towers are vertical structures with winding ramps that goats love to climb. They are also are “an idea whose time has come” according to a recent article in Modern Farmer.
New Urbanism Gets a New Leader
Lynn Richards, formerly of the U.S. EPA's Office of Sustainable Communities, is set to become President of the Congress for the New Urbanism in July. In this interview, Richards says that forging new alliances will be a key goal for her.
Illinois Bike Transportation Plan Could Be a Game Changer
The Illinois Bike Transportation Plan has the potential to impact the design of state roads in the purview of the Illinois Department of Transportation: 2,775 miles, or nine percent of the total mileage, of road in the Chigagoland region.
Rethinking the Value of Parking Lots
To create more active and economically healthy downtowns, cities are seeking development on parking lots.
Questioning Chicago’s Development-Friendly Reputation
Chicago has a reputation for being the most development-friendly city this side of Houston. But Stephen J. Smith cites restrictive zoning outside the Loop as one cause of the city’s anemic housing market.
$1 Large Lot Sales Underway in Chicago
For sale in Chicago for $1: city-owned lots in Southside neighborhoods. The idea, which has been implemented in Chicago before, is to get more land in the hands of neighborhood residents and stakeholders.
Tracking Chicago’s Potholes
A new animated map presents the reported cases of potholes in Chicago since November—the maps colorful and provides insights into how the city, and our relationship to it, can change with time.
Legal Battle Over Transportation Network Companies Shifts to Chicago
Chicago political leaders are floating a pair of competing bills that would regulate transportation network companies like Uber, Lyft, and Sidecar. Cab companies are pushing for legislation, seeking a “level playing field” in the market.
Wheels Up for Chicago’s Navy Pier Flyover
Chicago recently began construction on the $60 million Navy Pier Flyover—an elevated bike and pedestrian path built along Lake Michigan near the Navy Pier.
Checking in on Chicago’s Riverwalk Extension Plans
The already brilliant city of Chicago is soon to get another big draw—the extension of a riverwalk promenade between State and Lake streets.
A Tale of Two Chicagos
Acknowledging that many neighborhoods in Chicago have seen dramatic improvements in livability and income levels, one writer could still identify two Chicagos: “Global Chicago” and “Rust Belt Chicago.”
'Brain Drain' Surprise: Cleveland vs. Chicago
Comparing the demographic changes of Cleveland and Chicago, the results might surprise you: “Cleveland (Cuyahoga County) is experiencing brain gain. Chicago (Cook County) has brain drain.”
First Transportation Plan Since 1940 Launches in Chicago’s Cook County
Cook County is in the early stages of public outreach for its first transportation plan since the 1940 “Highway Plan for Cook County.”
New Documentary Miniseries Captures Chicago
The Second City does not suffer for picturesque vantage points or large personalities, making it a natural fit for CNN to study in a new documentary miniseries.
How to Gain 21 Million Transit Trips a Year in Chicago?
At a recent hearing of the Northeastern Illinois Public Transit Task Force, experts like Peter Skosey made the case for the types of changes necessary to meet Chicago’s goals for increased transit ridership, focusing on transit oriented development.
High Speed Locomotive Contract for Five States Awarded to Siemans AG
A $226 million contract to build 32 higher speed diesel locomotives, capable of reaching 125 mph, was awarded to the team of the German conglomerate, Siemens AG and Indiana-based engine maker Cummins, Inc over Peoria, Ill. based Caterpillar, Inc.
How the Ashland BRT Would Change Chicago
The proposed Ashland Bus Rapid Transit line in Chicago, the latest effort in an ambitious multi-modal transportation investment plan by Mayor Rahm Emanuel and former Chicago DOT Commissioner Gabe Klein, is a game changer for an already unique city.
The Case for Bus Rapid Transit
Bus rapid transit (BRT) is well known among planners as a cheap method to improve bus service and provide an alternative to rail, but BRT projects around the country have met resistance from an array of status quo interests.
Illinois Betting On Tolls to Cover Highway Costs
The state of Illinois is actively pushing two highway projects that might fail to pencil-out for users and for state taxpayers.
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
