Mayor Rahm Emanuel

Chicago Releases Vision Zero Traffic Safety Plan
Chicago is following in the footsteps of cities around the country (a few years behind the pack) in adopting a Vision Zero plan to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2026.

Fortress No Longer: What's in Store for Willis Tower
Designed for a different era, Willis Tower's pedestrian-phobic base is in line for a complete overhaul. The goal is to open the immense tower to the street.

First on Chicago's Wish List from the Trump Administration: $1 Billion for Union Station
The Emanuel Administration has yet to secure needed funding for a big project to update Chicago's Union Station. Now it's up to the Trump Administration to supply a needed loan.
Chicago Gets a $1.1 Billion Federal Grant for North Side Transit Improvements
The city of Chicago was working hard to win the federal funding while the Obama Administration is still in power.
Chicago's South Side Gains New Bus Service
New and improved bus service launched on the South Side of Chicago over Labor Day weekend.

Tax Increment Financing District Proposed for Chicago's Big Flyover Transit Project
Mayor Rahm Emanuel is looking for ways to raise local funds to help secure the federal funds necessary for the CTA's Red-Purple Bypass Project.
Chicago Mayor Emanuel Announces Park Plans to a Skeptical Audience
In a much-hyped address earlier this week. Mayor Rahm Emanuel chose the title "Building on Burnham" to describe his survey of the Chicago's ongoing and future plans to develop parks and open space.

Chicago Moves Forward on O'Hare Express
This month, the city of Chicago will choose a team of engineers to brainstorm an express rail line to O'Hare Airport. The plan has come under criticism for diverting future resources away from transit in low-income areas.
Mayor Emanuel Pitches Expanded Density Bonuses in Downtown Chicago
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel proposed an expansion of the city's Downtown Zoning District this week. The changes would allow taller buildings in a larger swath of the city.
Chicago Tribune Finds Faults With City's Speed Camera Program
A special investigation by the Chicago Tribune finds inconsistencies and errors with the city's "'Children's Safety Zone" initiative, which places speed camera near schools and parks.

Chicago Rule Change Encourages Affordable Housing
This month, changes to Chicago's Affordable Requirements Ordinance (ARO) will go into effect, raising the in-lieu fees developers must pay to opt out of building affordable units downtown.
Gentrification Concerns Raised Around 'The 606' Trail in Chicago
When an exciting and popular addition to the public realm becomes available, like it did in Chicago earlier this year with The 606 trail, concerns about gentrification and displacement are sure to follow.
Mayor Emanuel Would Freeze TIF Districts in Downtown Chicago
Mayor Rahm Emanuel proposed a plan that would save $250 million for schools and city operations at the cost of one of the city's most powerful funding mechanisms.
Architecture Critic Finds Faults in Chicago Placemaking
Architecture Critic Blair Kamin wants more from Make Way for People, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel's placemaking program, and finds faults with the Lincoln Hub as an example of tactical urbanism.
Chicago to Scale Back Red Light Camera Program
The nation's largest automated red light enforcement program will get a trim. How much is mayoral election politics responsible for the change?

Bus Advocates: Chicago BRT Plan Could Be Better
The Central Loop BRT project, scheduled to break ground this month, will improve commuter travel times. But a collection of compromises means many ideal BRT components won't be installed.
Emanuel Campaign Announces Neighborhood-Level Infrastructure Plans
Mayor Rahm Emanuel, busy on the campaign trail for re-election this week, made a big push for infrastructure investments at the neighborhood level.

The United States' Top Large City for Biking Is...
Portland (top city in 2012)? Minneapolis (top city in 2010)? No, it's the Big Apple! New York City leaped from #7 in 2012 to the top spot this year for cities with populations of 100,000 or greater.
International Effort Needed to Prevent Recurrence of Lake Erie Algal Bloom
On Monday, August 4, half a million people in the Toledo, Ohio metro region could once again drink from their water taps after a weekend without safe drinking water due to a toxin resulting from an algal bloom in the city's water supply, Lake Erie.
Double-Checking Chicago's Ambitious Bike Lane Plans
Checking in on the status of Chicago's ambitious plans to add 645 miles of bike lanes by 2020, one journalist finds a number of bikers who are questioning some of the choices made by planners.
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.
Caltrans
Smith Gee Studio
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