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?

August 18, 2014 - Crain's Chicago Business

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.

August 7, 2014 - Gizmodo

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.

August 7, 2014 - The Wall Street Journal

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.

August 4, 2014 - Chicago Tribune

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.

August 1, 2014 - Chi.Streetsblog

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.

July 25, 2014 - Chicago Tribune

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.

July 22, 2014 - Chi.Streetsblog

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.

July 18, 2014 - Politico

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.

July 18, 2014 - Chicagoland Television

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.

July 10, 2014 - Chi.Streetsblog

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.

July 3, 2014 - The Corner Side Yard

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.

June 28, 2014 - Chicago Tribune

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.

June 27, 2014 - Chicago Tribune

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.

June 25, 2014 - Chicago Tribune

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.

June 19, 2014 - Chicago Tribune

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.

June 18, 2014 - Transitized

Trump Sign

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.

June 13, 2014 - Chicago Tribune

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.

June 12, 2014 - Chicago Tribune

Chicago Divvy

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.

June 11, 2014 - Chicago Tribune

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.

June 10, 2014 - Brookings: The Avenue

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.