Illinois

Chicago Moving Forward with Residential High Rise Designed by Robert A.M. Stern

The Chicago Plan Commission approved a 67-story residential high rise earlier this month, as the latest evidence of the city's changing skyline.

December 27, 2014 - Crain's Chicago Business

Op-Ed: Put Chicago on a Road Diet

"The city should consider road diets for all streets with excess car capacity, although they're not always politically easy," writes John Greenfield.

December 23, 2014 - Crain's Chicago Business

Busy Crossing Street

Big Cities Make Pedestrian Safety a Priority

New data released Dec. 19 by NHTSA shows increased safety for those traveling by car, but pedestrian fatalities are 15% higher than in 2009. Plans by San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago to increase ped safety are described by the WSJ.

December 22, 2014 - The Wall Street Journal

Argyle Street Lane Configuration

Details on Chicago's First Shared Street

Planners are crafting the details of Chicago's first shared street, where pedestrians will rule.

December 3, 2014 - Chi.Streetsblog

Charting the Decline of Chicago's Middle-Class Neighborhoods

A post on the Chicago magazine site dives into research showing how Chicago has segregated by income since the 1970s.

November 26, 2014 - Chicago Magazine

An In-Depth Look at the Indiana Toll Road Bankruptcy

Angie Schmitt and Payton Chung have created a three-part series on the Indiana Toll Road and how its example informs the use of private finance to build and maintain highways.

November 24, 2014 - Streetsblog USA

Whole Foods Moving into a Food Desert in Chicago's Englewood Neighborhood

Why would Whole Foods—a company colloquially known as "Whole Paycheck" and as a staple of wealthy neighborhoods—open an 18,000-square-foot location in one of the most impoverished parts of Chicago?

November 20, 2014 - The Washington Post - Wonkblog

Converting Single Room Occupancy Hotels to Market Rate Apartments

Emily Badger discusses a phenomenon of gentrification in Chicago: former single room occupancy hotels, historically reserved for low-income housing, are being converted into market-rate rentals.

November 14, 2014 - The Washington Post

Where and Why 'Not In Their Backyard' Becomes a Rallying Cry

We've all heard about NIMBY politics, but what about NITBY? What would prompt some people to adopt a "Not In Their Backyard" stance?

November 10, 2014 - Pedestrian Observations

Revealed: Proposed Designs for Chicago's Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

Beijing's MAD Architects have unveiled their preliminary design for Chicago's Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, inspiring no shortage of commentary in the process.

November 5, 2014 - Curbed Chicago

Los Angeles Residential

How Affordable Housing Can Compete

With the backing of powerful nonprofit and for-profit investors, the Housing Partnership Equity Trust is making waves with its triple bottom line approach to affordable housing. More importantly, it’s making money.

November 4, 2014 - Next City

Op-Ed: Expand Chicago's Transit Beyond its Successful Status Quo

Yonah Freemark writes an op-ed that argues for the Chicago Transit Authority to do more than maintain the status quo.

November 3, 2014 - Crain's Chicago Business

McMansion Sign

Are Single Family Teardowns a Sign of Suburban Gentrification?

Luxury condos are often identified as the culprit in urban gentrification, but could it be that teardowns of single family homes that give way to much larger single family homes is a driver of suburban gentrification?

November 2, 2014 - Chicago Tribune

Wild Detroit

$3.2 Million Bid for 6,000 Foreclosed Properties in Detroit Auction

Karin Weise reports that an anonymous bidder will pay $3.2 million to purchase 6,000 foreclose homes in Detroit.

October 27, 2014 - Business Week

Progress for Cook County's Long Range Transportation Plan; Funding Questions Remain

Chicago's home county this year launched its first transportation since 1940. Initial outreach efforts have produced a draft vision statement and four planning scenarios.

October 21, 2014 - Chi.Streetsblog

Mobile Phone-Enabled Train Tickets Coming to Chicago's Metra

Mobile phones are doubling for tickets onto airplanes and into concerts all over the world. Why not commuter trains too?

October 19, 2014 - Chicago Tribune

Chicago Considers Raising Parking Taxes to Pay for Potholes

In need of 80 additional employees to keep up with the city's pothole repair deficit, Mayor Rah Emanuel is proposing that the city raise taxes parking.

October 15, 2014 - Chicago Sun-Times - Politics

Chicago's Red Light Camera Mess Now Features Yellow Lights

After switching vendors on its red light camera program last spring, the city of Chicago has had difficulties enforcing tickets (and thus, traffic laws) because of fluctuating times for yellow lights.

October 14, 2014 - Chicago Tribune

Chicago Cubs Begin Renovations on Historic Wrigley Field

The controversial 1060 Project to renovate the Home of the Chicago Cubs broke ground over the weekend on a renovation proposal that will allow a mix of uses on the ballpark property.

October 13, 2014 - Chicago Tribune

Chicago's First Shared Street Planned for Uptown's Argyle Street

Following one failed attempt at a similar plan, a popular neighborhood for shopping will soon become a shared street project. The effort is part of a trend in Chicago looking for ways to transform streets into pedestrian friendly destinations.

October 7, 2014 - 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.