Illinois
Expanding Chicago TOD Zones Could Boost Transit Ridership
Data indicates broadening the definition of transit-oriented zones to include more of the city would put housing within easy reach of transit for more residents and increase ridership.
Chicago Approves Sidewalk Clearing Pilot
The new program will develop plans for keeping sidewalks clear of snow and ice to improve accessibility.
Chicago Flood Mitigation Scrambles to Keep up With Climate Change
The city’s geography and the growing intensity of storms due to climate change are making it difficult for local officials to prevent neighborhood flooding and wastewater spills.
Champaign-Urbana Awarded Grant to Electrify Bus Fleet
Funding from the Low or No Emission Vehicle federal program will help the city replace its buses with new electric and other zero- or low-emission vehicles.
An Interview with the APA President: Angela D. Brooks, FAICP
APA President Angela D. Brooks discusses a career focused on affordable housing, supportive housing, and joint-use facilities. The interview suggest ways for planners to help solve some of the biggest challenges facing the country today.
Chicago Adding to Electric Bus Fleet
The city is working toward its goal to fully convert its transit fleet to electric buses by 2040.
Illinois Legislators Pass Controversial I-55 Road Expansion Legislation
Legislation to enable the addition of express toll lanes on Interstate 55 in the Southwest Side of Chicago, opposed by environmental justice advocates, cleared the Illinois General Assembly last month.
Chicago Mayor Proposes Permanent Outdoor Dining Program
The mayor’s proposal would create permanent rules for restaurants wanting to continue using their Covid-era outdoor dining setups or build new ones.
Chicago-St. Louis Corridor Trains Cleared for 110-mph Speeds
Amtrak has final federal approval for train speeds of 110 miles per hour between Joliet and Alton, culminating almost ten years of planning and investing.
Chicago Bike Share Expands Citywide
Divvy is now available in all 50 wards, with more stations and bikes planned for the system in the next two years.
Chicago’s Greyhound Station Could Close
The terminal, sold last year, is the only intercity bus station in the city, serving hundreds of thousands of mostly low-income travelers each year.
Chicago Found Liable for ADA Violations
A federal judge ruled that the city fails to provide “meaningful access” to many of its streets due to a lack of infrastructure for pedestrians with vision impairments at most of the city’s intersections.
Friday Funny: Chicago Transit Has Imposter Syndrome
The Onion posits that the CTA’s failures stem from a debilitating fear of having riders rely on them.
Illinois Legislature to Consider Affordable Housing Tax Credit
A proposed tax credit could create thousands of new affordable housing units per year, its proponents say.
Chicagoland Transit Agencies Call for State Funding as Budget Shortfall Looms
Illinois transit agencies want to see changes to a law requiring them to collect half of their revenue from transit fares, arguing that low ridership and staffing shortages will lead to a massive budget gap without intervention.
Chicago Approves New Parking Enforcement Pilot Programs
The city plans to test automated technology that will issue citations for blocking or parking in designated bike or bus lanes.
Chicago Could Start Plowing Sidewalks Next Winter
Keeping sidewalks free of snow has historically been the task of adjacent property owners, forcing pedestrians and people with mobility challenges to navigate a patchwork of conditions. A new ordinance would place the responsibility on the city.
Chicago Advances Smart Streets, Complete Streets Ordinances
Two proposed laws would enhance road safety for bicyclists and pedestrians and improve the city’s multimodal infrastructure.
‘We Will Chicago’ Plan Adopted in the Windy City
Chicago has its first “comprehensive plan” since the 1960s, but without a land use map, the “We Will Chicago” plan is devoted more to laying out the issues and challenges facing the city than setting new policies.
Chicago Transit Still Stumbling After Redesign
The city’s transit agency made changes to its schedules to make wait times more predictable and streamline services on the most popular routes, but riders are still experiencing headways longer than before the pandemic.
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
