Illinois
FEMA Redraws Flood Maps
FEMA has redone official maps of flood-prone areas across the country, designating some as flood zones for the first time.
New Courthouse 'Breaks All the Rules'
Reporter Robert Campbell says that the new Springfield Courthouse designed by architect Moshe Safdie is 'one of the most inviting public buildings I've ever seen.'
HOT & Green Proposal For Illinois Tollway
What do you get when you designate a carpool lane on a toll road for hybrids and carpoolers? A 'green' lane, say Illinois planners. However, they still pay the toll. Now add a "HOT lane overlay" to it - solo drivers can use it for a 'premium'.
No Relief for Chicago's Drivers
Paradoxically, Chicago's roads are more gridlocked than ever despite fewer trips by car overall due to gas prices.
Ghost Town in Yorkville
Yorktown was a booming exurb of Chicago, until the mortgage crisis put the kibosh on a number of developments in progress. Residents of these 'ghost towns' find themselves stuck with properties they can't sell.
Neon Signs Fading in Chicago
Chicago preservationists are urging owners of the last of the city's neon signs to keep them intact.
'Growing Water' Project Gets a Hand
The architecture studio that won The History Channel's City of the Future competition last year has gotten some help making its ideas possible.
First Privatized Airport In U.S.?
Midway Airport may become the first U.S. airport to be privatized if the 99-year lease for $2.52 billion is approved by the City Council and F.A.A., following in the footsteps of privatizing the Chicago Skyway toll road in 2005.
Make No Little Plans, 100 Years Later
As the 100-year anniversary of the writing of the Burnham Plan for Chicago approaches, the city and its suburbs are thinking big about how to improve the city.
Housing Project May Close- Residents Dismayed
The Chicago Housing Authority is considering tearing down a 300-unit public housing project, with a vote expected Tuesday. Residents are understandably unhappy, and advocates say the demand for affordable housing is already greater than supply.
Last Call for Bar Cars
Chicago's Metro is closing down its rolling taverns- not for reasons of temperance, but because they need the room for the growing number of rail commuters.
Chicago Region Loses Billions Each Year Thanks to Traffic Congestion
A new report from the Metropolitan Planning Council pegs the annual cost of congestion to the Chicago region at $7.3 billion.
Beijing's Olympic Lessons for Chicago
Olympics-related construction in Beijing has impressed many, but does little to make the city a better place. Architecture critic Blair Kamin says Chicago needs to be careful about not repeating China's mistakes if it hosts the games in 2016.
A Move Back into Cities Indicates Changing Middle-Class Mores
Author Alan Ehrenhalt says that conditions are ripe for the permanent return of downtown residential neighborhoods, and that a "demographic inversion" has already begun in Manhattan, Chicago and Washington, DC, among other cities.
Public Housing Museum Idea Moves Forward
A non-profit group in Chicago wants to open a museum dedicated to American public housing in the Former Public Housing Authority Building.
Chicago Trains To Go 'Standing Room Only'
The Chicago Transit Authority has announced plans to remove all the seating from some of its rush hour trains in order to deal with increased demand.
Millennium Park Garden Takes Top Award from ASLA
The American Society of Landscape Architects has awarded the Lurie Garden in Chicago's Millennium Park with it's highest honor.
Water Supplies May Not Be Enough for Growing Chicago
More than 2 million people are expected to be added to the metropolitan Chicago region by 2030, and water supplies may not be able to keep up. Officials are trying to find a solution.
'The Loop' is Back
Chicago's Loop is becoming a hot neighborhood.
A Public Housing Experiment Faces Problems
The Chicago Tribune examines what became of an ambitious city project, led by Mayor Daley, to revolutionize public housing. Private developers received public funding to tear down old projects and replace them with mixed-use neighborhoods.
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.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
