Chicago's COVID-19 Recovery Task Force, launched and chaired by Mayor Lori Lightfoot, has produced a detailed plan for leading the city out of the pandemic.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot convened a COVID-19 Recovery Task Force in April 2020 to chart a better future for the city after the economic crisis and public health crisis of the pandemic recedes. In July, the task force produced a 104-page document making recommendations for the city's future, reports Alan Greenblat.
"The task force’s five committees — made up of local heavy hitters in corporate, academic, philanthropic and other realms, with community input — have come up with a total of 17 recommendations," according to Greenblat's explanation of the "Forward Together: Building a Stronger Chicago" [pdf] report.
"Many of the recommendations are ambitious, pursuing goals around equity and increased minority business ownership that have eluded Chicago and other cities for decades. Even the simplest ideas — such as creating and staffing a multilingual 211 service to help residents access social service programs — pose a challenge for a city that’s facing a $700 million budget shortfall."
After detailing the terrible economic toll the pandemic has taken on residents of large swatches of the city, Greenblat offers insight into how the task force's recommendations intend to address both the current challenges, and the pre-existing challenges facing the city.
FULL STORY: Chicago Unveils Plan for Its Post-Pandemic Recovery
Signs of Financial Distress Among Office Properties
The foreclosure risk facing a pair of high-profile office buildings highlight the debt difficulties facing the office sector as it deals with the fallout of the pandemic. The trend could be on the verge of picking up steam.
Chicago's Planning Director on Leadership During Crises
Maurice Cox, planning commissioner for the Chicago Department of Planning and Development, is the subject of this in-depth coverage by the Chicago Tribune.
Website Predicts Crowds to Inform Social Distancing on Buses and Trains
Know before you go.
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?
In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving
Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.
Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan
Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.
Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding
The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.
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.
Clanton & Associates, Inc.
Jessamine County Fiscal Court
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service