Perspectives
Poor and black ‘invisible cyclists’ need to be part of post-pandemic transport planning too
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Low-income and minority groups are often reliant on cheaper modes of transport, but many find cycling to work problematic.
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.
Economic Development
After federal assessment, what’s next for the Obama Presidential Center?
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Officials are seeking public comment after a review found that the development could harm the historical status of the Jackson Park Historic Landscape District and Midway Plaisance.
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: 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
Mayor’s taxi industry proposal won’t level the playing field with Uber, Lyft
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Mayor Emanuel says his proposed changes to taxicab regulation would help the industry at a time when hundreds of taxi owner-operators face foreclosure on their medallions.
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.
Transportation
Rail yard expansion in Englewood raises questions of eminent domain’s scope
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Norfolk Southern, a publicly held railroad company, has filed condemnation proceedings against three last holdouts blocking completion of their project, which they argue is for public benefit.