Illinois

Chicago Bike Trail

Chicago's 606 Bike Path Made Gentrification Inevitable, Expert Claims

Because the rails to trails project left housing up to the market, rising rents were inevitable, claims a new report.

December 22, 2018 - Crain's

Chicago Bus

Chicago Ordinance Focuses on Equitable TOD

Transit-oriented development has ramped up in Chicago, but racial and economic inequities have come along with it. A proposed ordinance would expand TOD zones while also preventing displacement of residents.

December 21, 2018 - Streetsblog Chicago

The Boring Company

Early Reviews of Elon Musk's Boring Co. Tunnel

Take a tour of Elon Musk's idea for fixing Los Angeles congestion.

December 19, 2018 - Los Angeles Times

Lake Michigan

A System For Identifying the Opportunity Zones Most Likely to Deliver on the Triple Bottom Line

Some "Opportunity Zones" will deliver more social end environmental benefits than others.

December 18, 2018 - MAPS

CTA STation

Construction Contracts Awarded for Chicago Transit Authority's Largest Project Ever

A flyover to clear a bottleneck of trains serving the Red, Brown, and Purple lines is a key component of the massive modernization project planned by the Chicago Transit Authority.

December 13, 2018 - Chicago Tribune

Stony Island Arts Bank Chicago

Theaster Gates Brings Together Planning and Art to Empower Communities

His work in Chicago has created spaces that protect and celebrate black lives and experience.

December 12, 2018 - Forbes

HUD

HUD's Spotty Record on Inspections

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is desperately in need of reform in its system of inspections and enforcement of living conditions in public housing.

December 10, 2018 - The Southern Illinoisan

CTA Purple Line train

Fans of Transit and/or Chicago: We Have a Card Game for You

The card game LOOP was made by people who obviously put in some serious time hanging from straps on the L.

December 8, 2018 - CityLab

The Nutcracker

Planning Finally Gets a Role in the Ballet

We've seen planning take the Broadway stage and turned into an Oprah, but perhaps the ballet is the most surprising place to see planning ideas on the stage.

December 6, 2018 - Next City

Brightline

Virgin Trains, Formerly Brightline, Planning Eight Expansion Corridors

November's bombshell news about the partnership between Virgin and Brightline has now yielded ambitious plans for private investment in intercity rail service.

December 6, 2018 - Atlanta Business Chronicle

Chicago River North Branch

Plan Changes for Chicago’s Lincoln Yards Project

The massive proposed development project on the Chicago River is facing a host of questions about density, open space, and infrastructure.

December 2, 2018 - Chicago Tribune

Invasive Species

Price Triples for Keeping Asian Carp Out of Lake Michigan

It's been expensive year for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' efforts to prevent environmental catastrophe in Lake Michigan.

December 1, 2018 - Associated Press via Chicago Tribune

'Don't Be a Turkey: Ride Transit'

The Regional Transit Authority took to the streets of Chicago to drum up support for transit, and transit funding, this Thanksgiving.

November 22, 2018 - RTAChicago via YouTube

Derek Mindler

An Argument for a Graduated Real Estate Transfer Tax in Chicago

As it exists today, Chicago's real estate transfer tax is a flat tax that charges the same percentage for modest homes and mansions.

November 19, 2018 - Chicago Sun-Times

Pilsen Chicago

The Problems With Tax Increment Financing and How to Fix Them

Tax increment financing (TIF) districts are common in municipalities across the country. However, the economic development tool is also poorly understood and often the target of criticism.

November 13, 2018 - Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

Miami Traffic Jam

Study Finds Fewer Young People Want Cars

Driving is often marketed as fun and liberating, but millennials aren’t buying it.

November 13, 2018 - Chicago Tribune

Chicago Parklet Andersonville

Chicago Parklet Designed to Be Flexible and Cost Effective

A newly installed parklet in Chicago is part of a larger program to engage the city’s public spaces.

November 12, 2018 - Next City

Illinois

Post-Amazon Chicago: Mayor Seeks $1.7 Billion in Subsidies for Downtown Developments

Making the case that proposed developments won't come to fruition with support from tax increment financing, Mayor Rahm Emanuel is moving quickly to shore up development plans now that Amazon has moved on.

November 7, 2018 - Chicago Tribune

Chicago El Tracks

Are Chicago's Transit Oriented Developments Generating Enough Affordable Housing?

Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood is the scene for a very contemporary land use policy debate: how much affordable housing can cultivated from the development opportunities in proximity to transit lines?

November 6, 2018 - Chicago Tribune

Chicago Divvy Bikeshare

Chicago Wants Bike Sharing to Reach All Parts of City

The city recently received a grant that will help it grow its bike-share network, particularly into areas that have been underserved.

November 4, 2018 - WTTW

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.