Perspectives
Coronavirus lockdowns are pushing mass transit systems to the brink – and low-income riders will pay the price
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One in 5 of the poorest US households don’t have a car and rely on public transportation to get around.
Perspectives: The Powers That Be
Lightfoot’s rideshare fee plan improves equity, but why not tax Uber and Lyft directly?
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The mayor’s proposal to relieve congestion and boost public transportation will cost solo riders in affluent areas the most, but there are other, more progressive options.
Perspectives: The Powers That Be
Lori Lightfoot blasts One Central’s Springfield surprise
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Chicago’s new mayor criticized developer Bob Dunn for slipping authorization for $5 billion into the state capital budget for a giant new transit hub next to Soldier Field.
Perspectives
Chicago’s South and West sides have most to gain from bus-focused development push
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Most transit-oriented development so far has been clustered on the North and Near West sides, the Metropolitan Planning Council found, reinforcing decades of underinvestment in segregated neighborhoods.
Perspectives
Food deserts persist in Chicago despite more supermarkets
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Most new grocery stores were built in areas with plentiful access in recent years, and those added to high-need areas were not enough to mitigate the effects of longstanding disinvestment and segregation, according to a new study.
Perspectives: The Powers That Be
From police to schools to transit, a crisis of accountability in Chicago
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As Rahm Emanuel courts flashy projects amid a slew of scandals, it seems the mayor is more accountable to big-money donors than to neighborhood constituents.
Beyond 95th Street
Instead of extending the Red Line, some see promise in the Metra Electric
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Converting the Metra Electric District main line into rapid transit could be a quicker, cheaper way to improve transit on the South Side than building more Red Line stations, advocates say.
Beyond 95th Street
New Red Line extension plan would uproot fewer Far South Side homes
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The Chicago Transit Authority’s hybrid proposal lowers the number of privately owned properties that would need to be acquired, but residents still have mixed feelings on how the project could affect them economically.
Perspectives: The Powers That Be
Highway expansion drives jobs away from communities that need them
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The costly projects will add to the exodus of jobs to the suburbs making employment out of reach for low-income Chicagoans who rely on public transit.
Perspectives: The Powers That Be
Emanuel’s growing collection of slush funds
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In a city struggling to provide basic services, the mayor has set up huge pots of off-budget funds to dole out to developers with little oversight.