Illinois

Should Illinois Sell Its State Tollway?

Chicago Sun-Times columnist Ralph Martire says that the project warrants careful analysis before the state decides to sell-off a profit-making asset to reduce deficit.

June 2, 2006 - Chicago Sun-Times

Developing A Formal Methodology For Studying Obesity And Urban Design

The Int. Journal of Health Geographics publishes a study on how "GIS and cluster analysis makes it possible to objectively characterize urban neighborhoods and to select comparable and/or contrasting neighborhoods for community-based health studies."

May 24, 2006 - International Journal of Health Geographics

From The Illinois River To The River Nile

A new development at the confluence of the River Nile has brought an Illinois planner back to her native country of Sudan.

May 19, 2006 - ILAPA News BLAST!

Chicago Goes Green And Stimulates Growth

The "City in a Garden" lives up to its motto, using tons of versatile mulch to promote sustainability and improve quality of life.

May 18, 2006 - The New York Times

Tower Planned For Chicago's South Shore

Proposed 20-story tower could be first new high-rise in three decades for Chicago's South Side area.

May 17, 2006 - Chicago Sun-Times

Highway Construction Forcing Car-Loving Commuters To Trains

Despite their undying love of cars, Chicago commuters are grudgingly hopping on the train to avoid congestion from the "Dan Ryan Dig," a $600 million project to improve the "busiest road in Illinois."

April 22, 2006 - The Wall Street Journal

Do Street Names Matter?

Chicago has erupted in controversy over the potential naming of a street after a Black Panther; what have street names meant to different people in different cities?

March 29, 2006 - The Chicago Tribune

More Funding For Cabrini Green Housing Reconstruction

Slowly but surely, the Chicago Public Housing Authority continues fundraising, demolition, and reconstruction at the infamous public housing project.

March 10, 2006 - The Chicago Tribune

Community Policing Advances In Chicago

The Chicago Police Department is getting serious about community involvement in neighborhood safety, coinciding with the city's murder rate leveling off.

January 12, 2006 - The Chicago Tribune

Kaddish for a Legendary Church

A raging fire guts Adler & Sullivan's 1891 K.A.M./Pilgrim Baptist Church in Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood and, in silencing the rich echoes of over a century of human aspiration, offers a potent reminder of how architecture channels urban memory.

January 9, 2006 - Repeat

Illinois Wrestles With Eminent Domain

This January Illinois lawmakers and citizens are set to do battle over the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that upheld the use of eminent domain for private economic development.

January 4, 2006 - The Chicago Tribune

Mixed-Use Development Transforms Chicago Suburb

Sherman Plaza, a new mixed-use development in the heart of downtown Evanston, Illinois is the latest in a series of developments that are transforming this once sleepy college town into a vital urban destination.

November 17, 2005 - The New York Times

Downtown Homeownership Surges in Chicago

Chicago experiences a surge in number of residents choosing to live in the center city, near jobs and recreation.

November 15, 2005 - The Chicago Tribune

Civic Patriotism Powers Chicago's Millennium Park

The newly opened park, a ground-breaking achievement, is a model for all other cities in terms of both design and operations.

November 1, 2005 - The Boston Globe

2000-foot-tall Pigeon Roost for Chicago's Lakefront?

Will cable and satellite TV make the massive Cesar Pelli-designed HDTV tower proposed for Chicago's Gold Coast a white elephant? Lynn Becker critiques the Beitler Tower proposal.

October 25, 2005 - Repeat

Grading Chicago's Latest Skyscraper

Heritage at Millennium Park, the latest skyscraper to grace Chicago's already dense skyline, is already garnering a lot of attention.

October 25, 2005 - The Chicago Tribune

A Testimony to a Car-Free Lifestyle

How to be mobile in Chicago without owning a car.

October 20, 2005 - Chicago Sun Times

McDonalds vs Starbucks: Giants Battle For Mall Space

Why is McDonalds is trying to block Starbucks from moving into the Liberty Square shopping center in Wauconda, IL?

October 7, 2005 - The Chicago Tribune

City Inspectors Trade Cars for Bikes

City property maintenance inspectors find that they are better able to view property code violations on bikes rather than in cars, saving tax dollars on gas and reducing emmissions.

October 6, 2005 - The Chicago Tribune

Is Eminent Domain The Last, Best Hope For Inner Cities?

The WSJ profiles developer Jim Koman of Koman Properties Inc., and questions whether eminent domain is the only realistic tool for growth in severely depressed urban areas like East St. Louis.

October 6, 2005 - The Wall Street Journal

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.