Recent Streetsblog CHICAGO posts about MPC

Three Transit Campaigns: Do They Compete or Complement Each Other?

By Steven Vance | Apr 23, 2015 | 8 Comments

As the Chicago region grows in population, we’re going to need to provide efficient and affordable transportation options in order to compete in the global economy, and that’s going to require more and better transit. People who live near transit pay less in transportation costs as a portion of their household income, and have better access […]

MPC Hopes “Transportation Woes” Survey Will Get Lawmakers’ Attention

By John Greenfield | Dec 9, 2014 | 31 Comments

Have you had it up to here with crumbling sidewalks and faded crosswalks? Are you sick of pedaling over lousy pavement, or barely visible bike lanes? Fed up with CTA bus routes that have already stopped running by the time you need a lift home, or Metra trains that never seem to run on time? […]

CMAP Seeks Its Own Dedicated Tax For Transit, Green Infrastructure

By Steven Vance | Nov 19, 2014 | 18 Comments

The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning last week floated its own proposal to fix the region’s shortfall in transportation funding. It launched FUND 2040, a campaign calling upon the Illinois legislature to fund sustainable infrastructure through a quarter-cent sales tax across the Chicagoland region. CMAP says this increase would generate $300 million annually, which it […]

Making It Easier to Get to the Museum Campus Without a Car

By Steven Vance | Oct 15, 2014 | 18 Comments

It’s already a bit of a hassle to get to and around Chicago’s Museum Campus, which includes the Field Museum, the Shedd Aquarium, the Adler Planetarium, and Soldier Field. In light of plans to build the Lucas Museum, as well as Rahm Emanuel’s goal to increase tourism from 49 million visitors last year to 55 […]

Logan Square Residents Refine Vision For Development Atop ‘L’ Station

By Jessica Papanek | Sep 23, 2014 | 11 Comments

The second of three Corridor Development Initiative meetings last week collected more detailed feedback about what Logan Square residents hope to see replace a municipal parking lot and under-used bus transfer plaza atop the neighborhood’s ‘L’ station. The meeting began with a brief audience survey whose results mirrored the findings from the previous meeting. During […]

Local Residents Want More Housing at Logan Square Blue Line Station

By Steven Vance | Sep 15, 2014 | 1 Comment

Logan Square residents came out in droves last week for the first of three meetings about redeveloping the Logan Square Blue Line station and an adjacent city-owned parking lot. About 170 people participated, according to the Metropolitan Planning Council, and 220 attendees are expected for round two tomorrow night. With overlapping street redesign and development projects already […]

Quinn, Rauner Should Get On Board With Region’s Performance Measures

By Steven Vance | Sep 2, 2014 | 6 Comments

The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning’s lauded GO TO 2040 regional plan prioritizes transportation investments based on performance measures, rather than through arbitrary formulas or aggressive politicking. This ensures that the hundreds of millions of federal dollars that CMAP handles are spent on projects selected on need and merit, rather than just because someone important likes […]

Without Planning, Mega Parking Lot Could Replace Megamall

By Steven Vance | Aug 25, 2014 | 49 Comments

Terraco and Sierra U.S., two commercial real estate firms, have started marketing to potential tenants space within a new development at the site of the defunct Megamall, along Milwaukee Avenue northwest of Sacramento Avenue in Logan Square. Marketing documents published by Curbed Chicago show a new building housing 166,390 square feet of retail, including a supermarket and […]

Local Architects Envision “Meeting Place” At Empty Logan Square Plaza

By Steven Vance | Aug 19, 2014 | 7 Comments

This past Sunday, the usually forlorn bus transfer plaza above the Logan Square Blue Line station suddenly looked very different. Architects Krista Petkovsek and Kara Boyd had scrounged nearby alleys, rounded up a couple dozen used chairs, painted them orange, and scattered them around the plaza to spark a conversation about how to enliven the empty space, […]

16 Placemaking Events Going on All Around the City This Weekend

By John Greenfield | Aug 15, 2014 | No Comments

Looking for something fun to do this weekend? Look no further. Below you’ll find a handy chart of all the fantastic community-building events going on from today through Sunday as part of the Metropolitan Planning Council’s Old Place, New Tricks placemaking competition. The contest inspired residents to energize under-used public spaces like vacant lots, plazas […]

MPC’s TOD Tool Advises Developers About Train Station Bonuses

By Steven Vance | Mar 27, 2014 | 13 Comments

Many developers haven’t yet investigated how last year’s transit oriented development ordinance, passed to encourage development near transit, can make their work easier and possibly more lucrative. Under the TOD ordinance, developers can build bonus density — more floors, taller buildings, smaller units – and fewer parking spaces on sites near Chicago Transit Authority and […]

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