Illinois
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.
In Illinois: an Affordable Housing Board in Name Only
More evidence of the inability of the Illinois Housing Planning and Appeal Act to achieve its stated goals.
Explained: Bus-On-Shoulder Service
Allowing buses to drive on the shoulder of highways when traffic slows has been shown to increase ridership, thus proving an important point: people will ride transit when it's a reasonable option.

12 Maps to Explain the Midwest
Aaron Renn scours the Internet to find 12 maps that attempt to do the impossible: define the geographic and cultural expanse known as the American Midwest.
Editorial: Chicago's Lakefront Deserves Better than the Lucas Museum
To say that the Chicago Tribune editorial board is not a fan of George Lucas's proposal to build a museum along Lake Michigan would be putting it mildly.

The Death and Life of Evanston, Illinois
A comprehensive review of the inner-ring suburb of Evanston, Illinois, outside Chicago, and a transformation Jane Jacobs would surely love. The proof is in the pudding: Evanston car ownership are far below regional averages.

New Urbanism Earning New Fans in One Chicago Neighborhood
With statistics showing that fewer than half of Americans know their neighbors, bringing neighborliness to neighborhoods remains a challenge for urban planners.
Change Is Coming to Wrigleyville (Other Than Playoff Baseball)
The Wrigleyville neighborhood of Chicago will have a national audience this week for the first time since 2003. The neighborhood has changed, and is poised for even more change.

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.
Chicago Approves Big Expansion of TOD Ordinance
Ten times more land in Chicago is now designated for transit oriented development—affording new development reduced parking requirements, density bonuses for affordable housing, and new strength for the city's Pedestrian Street design regulations.

Can Reduced Parking Requirements Generate Too Much Development Competition?
A new argument has appeared in the ongoing debate about parking requirements. A university in a college town objected to reduced parking requirements on the grounds that it would make the city too attractive to developers.
Chicago's Food Carts Now Street Legal
An estimated 1,500 food carts were operating in the city of Chicago—mostly outside the law. The Chicago City Council this week passed a law that allows legitimate operations.
The Outsized Benefits of Transforming Parking Lots to TOD
Chicago's sale of three city-owned parking lots demonstrates how selling underused land for the purposes of transit-oriented development can benefit people and government.
Illinois DOT Head: System Is Stuck in the Past
Strong words from the head of the Illinois Department of Transportation, who says the state is planning for "yesterday's transportation system." Are we witnessing a sea change in leadership of transportation at the state level?
Meet Chicago's New Northerly Island Open Space
Chicago gains a new open space today, located on an island on Lake Michigan just across from Soldier Field and Burnham Harbor.
Chicago Infill Rail Stations Showing Outsized Benefits in Ridership, TOD
An analysis of infill transit stations built since 2012 along "L" routes in Chicago shows clear increases in ridership and transit oriented development.

A Central Hub for Open Data
Designed by researchers at the University of Chicago, the Plenario platform gathers all available open data for a specific area. Then it presents the data in an easy-to-use format.
The Case For and Against Red Light Cameras
Eric Jaffe of CityLab looks at what went wrong with what should have been a clear way to employ technology to reduce crashes and save lives, and what can be done to stem the tide of cities removing red light cameras.
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.
Wealthy Suburbs Flout Illinois' Affordable Housing Mandate
The state of Illinois finds itself without a "stick" to enforce the mandates of its Affordable Housing Planning and Appeals Act. Towns have noticed and are flouting the law.
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.
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