Illinois

Under Threat, Preservation Efforts in Illinois Get New Leadership

From lawsuits to development pressures, Landmarks Illinois, the venerable voice for preservation in the state, has been doing its best to fend off challengers to the state's historic treasures. A new president hopes to help stiffen the defenses.

June 14, 2012 - The Architect's Newspaper

After a Lost Decade, How Can Chicago Get Back on Track?

Aaron M. Renn looks at Chicago's struggles over the last decade - one that saw the city "increasingly falling behind its large urban brethren" - and asks whether its aspirations for becoming a global city are delusional.

June 11, 2012 - City Journal

Chicago Works to Add People to its Places

On Wednesday, Mayor Rahm Emanuel kicked-off Chicago's “Make Way for People” program, an effort to "promote economic development and make Chicago streets safer for pedestrians," by transforming the city's paved surfaces into people places.

June 7, 2012 - Chicago Sun-Times

Can Chicago Eliminate Traffic Deaths?

Sarah Goodyear reports on the Windy City's ambitious plan to eliminate all traffic fatalities in the city within 10 years.

May 29, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Will a New Plan for Chicago's Union Station Stick?

20 years after its last makeover, and with successive grand renovation plans developed and abandoned in between, last week saw the release of a new master plan for America's third-busiest railroad terminal, reports Fran Spielman.

May 27, 2012 - Chicago Sun-Times

So We've Got All This Data. Now What?

Ben Hecht offers his insights on what civic leaders should do to capitalize on big data and how efforts in Chicago are turning these ideas into reality.

May 24, 2012 - Huffington Post

In Race to Be the Tallest, Who Has Final Say?

As developers around the world seek to steal the coveted title of "World's Tallest Building", Carl Bialik looks at what defines a building, and who gets to decide.

May 15, 2012 - The Wall Street Journal

Design for Chicago's Bloomingdale Trail Takes Shape

As it wraps up the first stage of a community planning progress, Alan G. Brake checks in on the latest designs for Chicago's answer to the High Line.

May 14, 2012 - The Architect's Newspaper

What Gets Left Behind in the Rush to Privatize Public Improvements?

As public-private partnerships to invest in aged urban infrastructure gain in popularity in Chicago, and across the country, Christopher Weber asks who will fund the improvements unaligned with corporate interests.

May 9, 2012 - Rust Wire

Chicago: America's Freight Rail Speed Bump

John Schwartz looks at Chicago's rail mess, which seems entirely inadequate a word to describe the "sprawling traffic jam" that keeps some rail traffic crawling through the city at an average speed of 1.13 miles per hour.

May 8, 2012 - The New York Times

What Are the Biggest Challenges Facing America's Mayors?

Earlier this week, Charlie Rose hosted a roundtable discussion with the mayors of Chicago, Baltimore, Jacksonville, and Louisville on how they're working to revitalize their cities in challenging economic times.

April 20, 2012 - Charlie Rose

A Closer Look At Growth Data Showing An Urban Revival

On April 5, the U.S. Census Bureau released growth data from April 2010 to July 2011 showing that for the first time in 20 years, urban growth surpassed exurban growth. Yonah Freemark takes a closer look at the data for 21 metropolitan areas.

April 10, 2012 - theTransportPolitic

Great Lakes Turbines Get Second Wind

Just months after a proposal to build the first wind farm to be located offshore on any of the Great Lakes was shelved, five neighboring states have struck a deal with the Obama administration to develop offshore wind farms more quickly.

April 4, 2012 - The Buffalo News

Decline in Chicago Parking Demands Have Developers Taking Notice

Mary E. Morrison reports on a precipitous drop in the percentage of renters leasing parking spaces in new downtown Chicago residential buildings, causing developers to rethink the way they build and market their buildings.

March 30, 2012 - Crain's Chicago Business

Emanuel Fills In the Details on Massive Chicago Infrastructure Plan

Today, Mayor Rahm Emanuel will sketch out a fuller picture of the ambitious $7 billion public-private plan to upgrade Chicago's transit, schools, and parks, reports John Schwartz.

March 29, 2012 - The New York Times

'Stuck' in the City, Chicago Parents Yearn for Better Schools

A sluggish housing market has stemmed the flow of young parents into Chicago's suburbs, putting pressure on city officials to make public schools better, John Pletz reports.

March 28, 2012 - Crain's Chicago Business

Navy Pier Design Team Picked

From amongst an international field of distinguished competitors, a 17-memeber team led by James Corner Field Operations has been selected to revamp the Chicago landmark's public spaces, reports Blair Kamin.

March 16, 2012 - Chicago Tribune

Chicago's Cultural Plan Gets a Rewrite

For the first time in more than 25 years, Chicago is updating the city's Cultural Plan by taking stock of its existing cultural assets and identifying opportunities for “cultural hubs,” reports Christopher Bentley.

March 15, 2012 - The Architect's Newspaper

Chicago Hops On Bike Sharing Phenomenon

With the recently announced selection of a vendor to operate its first large-scale bicycle sharing program, Chicagoans are primed to start pedaling in earnest this summer, reports Jon Hilkevitch.

March 15, 2012 - Chicago Tribune

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.

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.