Illinois
Can Chicago's Tech Boom Benefit the South Side?
With tech businesses setting up shop in Chicago's Loop, what it will take to attract companies out to neighborhoods like Garfield Park and Englewood?
Study uses Google Street View to Assess Gentrification
By assessing three different groups of indicators, researchers were able to tour thousands of blocks in Chicago through Google Street View and compare visual signs of reinvestment and renewal between 2007 and 2009.
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.
Study Identifies Chicago's 'Transit Deserts'
A new report challenges assumptions about Chicago's transit system, identifying well-populated neighborhoods that are cut off from frequent transit service.
A Buffer is Better
What's the best street design to keep bicyclists safely out of the door zone? A buffered bike lane beats a conventional bike lane or "wide curb lane" according to a recent study published in TRB, based on observations in Chicago and Cambridge, Mass.
Does Too-Plentiful Parking Spark Wild Parties at Chicago's Montrose Beach?
Parking is at the center of proposed urban design and planning responses a recent melee at Montrose Beach in Chicago, which followed an un-permitted concert.
Speed Cameras: Working in Chicago; Needed in Philadelphia
In Chicago, speed cameras are proving effective at reducing speeds; in Philadelphia, a police commissioner is lobbying the state to allow the implementation of the cameras.
Skyscraper Envy?
Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) expressed irritation that Chicago is no longer a world-class city when it comes to building heights. The issue arose during a Senate floor discussion on the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act. Chicago's Willis Tower ranks #11.
Celebrating Millennium Park's 10th Anniversary with Esoteric Trivia
Millennium Park in Chicago had its grand opening on July 16, 2004. Now, ten years later, it's one of the country's most treasured, visited, and photographed public spaces.
A Call for Local Architects to 'Redefine the Drive' in Chicago
A local architect produced a DIY design to push the Illinois Department of Transportation to think big with the "Redefine the Drive" project on North Lake Shore Drive. With the proposal: invitations for more local designers to participate.
Comparing Naperville and Joliet: the Underappreciated Importance of Legacy
Pete Saunders compares the disparate experiences of two Chicago suburbs, Naperville and Joliet, who took different approaches to legacy.
Updated Plans for Chicago's Memorial to Daniel Burnham
A planned memorial for Chicago architect and planner Daniel Burnham got an upgrade this week in the form of a proposed 1.6-mile interactive walking path and new materials for the site of the memorial.
Chicago Mayor Emanuel Pondering New Sign Regulations in Trump Fallout
Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced his intentions to create ordinances that would prevent future design controversies like the maligned Trump sign above the Chicago River.
George Lucas Chooses Chicago for New Museum Site
Equal parts a stunning victory for Chicago and a breathtaking failure for San Francisco, "Star Wars" director George Lucas has selected Chicago as the site of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art.
Can Kickstarter Funding Help Achieve the 'Breakwater Chicago' Dream?
The strange-but-true idea for "Breakwater Chicago" has two things going for it so far—attention from the press and $38,180 in Kickstarter funding.
Multi-Modal Trip Planning in Chicago? There Ought to Be an App for That
Samuel Baron makes the case that Divvy, Chicago's "newest transportation system," should be better integrated with the city's other public transport systems.

Trump's Controversial Sign of the Times in Chicago
The most conspicuous example of Chicago's recent spat of troubling signage is a 2,891-square-foot sign 200 feet above street level on the Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago.
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.

Chicago Accumulating Bike-Friendly Bonafides
Chicago officials hope that nearly 5 percent of the city's commutes will be by bike in 2020. The goal requires a lot more work (biking's share of daily trips rose to 1.3 percent in 2012 from 0.5 percent in 2000), but there are many signs of a shift.
Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014 Signed into Law
President Obama has signed "a bipartisan $12.3 billion water bill that will help improve harbors, waterways, levees, and ecosystems across the United States," according to an article by Adie Tomer and Joseph Kane.
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.
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