Illinois

This week, the Illinois DOT kicked off a set of public meetings to "redefine" Chicago's Lake Shore Drive. At the first meeting, a decidedly pro-car and anti-bicyclist sentiment crept into the comments.

August 8, 2013 - Chicago Tribune

In a recent column in The Times, Thomas Friedman exalted America's metropolitan revolution. But in cities like Chicago, the 'most exciting innovations in governance' have failed to improve the quality of life for hundreds of thousands of residents.

August 7, 2013 - Chicago Reader

As the State of Illinois and City of Chicago begin envisioning the future of North Lake Shore Drive, a coalition of 15 local advocacy groups have put forth a plan to return the artery to the original vision put forth by Daniel Burnham.

August 7, 2013 - Chicago Sun-Times

In the 1980s and 90s, a pair of accomplished architecture firms were asked to design restaurants for the world's most famous, and formulaic, fast food chain. See what happened when the avant garde rethought the golden arches.

August 4, 2013 - Smithsonian

Over the past 14 years, Lake Michigan and Lake Huron have experienced an unprecedented drop in water levels, and many fear they won't be coming back. In a multi-part series the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel explores the causes and implications.

August 2, 2013 - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

While working for Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, de Blois helped design some of the most influential office towers of the 20th century. But, when it came time to open one of her signature buildings, she was told not to attend if she was still pregnant.

August 1, 2013 - The New York Times

With thousands of abandoned homes located in neighborhoods of varying shape and character, Chicago has a massive challenge in returning its vacant properties to active use. Can algorithms help leaders decide on the right solutions?

July 23, 2013 - Next City

Are we on the brink of a third industrial revolution? Guest 'PlaceShaker' Scott Bernstein thinks maybe, and looks to past successes for key patterns and ideas for injecting walkability into areas with industrial or 'special' uses.

July 17, 2013 - PlaceShakers

Since we covered the many problems encountered by users of New York's Citi Bike, we though it only fair to share news of a large-scale bike share system that recently launched with far fewer problems (at least according to one reporter).

July 5, 2013 - Grist

For years, public leaders have touted low interest rates as a fantastic opportunity to borrow money to modernize America's aging infrastructure. That opportunity looks to be ending, as rising interest rates batter the municipal bond market.

June 28, 2013 - The New York Times

Final plans for what will become the longest elevated park in the world where unveiled this week in Chicago. The 2.7-mile rail-to-trail conversion has been branded as The 606, a nod to the zip code digits shared by the neighborhoods along its route.

June 19, 2013 - Chicago Tribune

Greg Hinz tours the unfinished 'superstation' under Block 37 in the central Loop, built by the Chicago Transit Authority at a cost of $218 million. It would cost an estimated $150 million to complete, a sum that's unlikely to be raised anytime soon.

June 17, 2013 - Crain's Chicago Business

It turns out New York isn't the only large city struggling to get its heralded bike-share system off the ground. Chicago's rush to launch Divvy has hit a snag, delaying the program's launch by two weeks.

June 13, 2013 - WNYC: Transportation Nation

Last year, Chicago experienced a surge in gun violence that drew national attention. So far this year, shootings and crime are down significantly thanks to a mix of tactics employed by city leaders. Is the drop in crime sustainable?

June 11, 2013 - The New York Times

Ben Austen traces how foreclosures, crime, and depopulation have decimated areas in the South and West Sides of Chicago, and the 'do-it-yourself empowerment zones' that are trying to make use of vacant properties and turn around these neighborhoods.

June 2, 2013 - The New York Times

Not to be outdone by its big (and small) city brethren, the nation's third largest city is launching its long-awaited, and relatively secretive, bike-sharing program next month. And according to Paul Merrion, they're starting with a bang.

May 29, 2013 - Crain's Chicago Business

The value of a single life lost or destroyed by gun violence is incalculable. But the cumulative impact of such savagery has consequences for a city's economy in the form of 'shuttered businesses, lost wages, disability checks and depopulation.'

May 28, 2013 - Bloomberg

The $176 million Phase I design concept for Navy Pier unveiled last week promises a "parklike" feel along the banks of Lake Michigan.

May 24, 2013 - Chicago Tribune

Seeking to trim budgets and 'distribute scarce resources more efficiently,' Mayor Rahm Emanuel's controversial plan to shrink Chicago's school system moved ahead yesterday with the Board of Ed's vote to shut 49 of the city's elementary schools.

May 23, 2013 - Chicago Tribune

A new study by the Chicago-based Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) compares that city's flood insurance claims with its floodplains, and finds a 'completely counter-intuitive' relationship between the two.

May 16, 2013 - The Atlantic Cities