Recent Streetsblog CHICAGO posts about Woodlawn

The 5th Ward’s Leslie Hairston: Chicago’s Most Auto-centric Alderman?

By John Greenfield | Feb 7, 2017 | 22 Comments

It was no surprise that read that Hairston opposes pedestrianizing streets in Jackson Park. She’s shown time and time again that she prioritizes easy driving above all other transportation modes.

There's no need for drivers to use Cornell or Marquette (southernmost east-west street in Jackson Park) to continue south on Stony Island. The Obama Library will be located on the patch of land currently occupied by a running track and baseball diamonds. Image: Google Maps

Why Pedestrianizing Jackson Park Roads Won’t Cause Carmaggedon

By John Greenfield | Feb 1, 2017 | 18 Comments

The Chicago Tribune recently reported that the Obama Foundation has proposed pedestrianizing stretches of the highway-like roads that run through Jackson Park, the future home of Barack Obama’s presidential library, to create a museum campus. The tone of the article, and quotes from some community members, suggest that this change would cause strangle transportation on […]

Transit-Oriented Housing Proposals Finally Make it to the South Side

By Steven Vance | Aug 5, 2016 | No Comments

Earlier this year, transit-oriented development made the jump from being proposed and built only next to Chicago Transit Authority stations to also being proposed next to a Metra station. Now, the trend that has brought hundreds of new market-rate and affordable designated housing units to vacant lots near Chicago ‘L’ stations has jumped to the South Side. […]

Recent Chicago Pedestrian and Bicycle Fatalities

By John Greenfield | Jul 29, 2015 | No Comments

Man Fleeing Police Fatally Strikes 13-Month-Old Boy in Stroller Dillan Harris, a 13-month-old boy who was sitting in a stroller, was run over and killed by a driver who was being chased by police in the wake of a gunshot murder, prosecutors said. On Saturday, July 11, at around 1:40 p.m., an off-duty police officer […]

PlayStreets Creates Safe Public Space for Car-Free Recreation

By John Greenfield | Feb 22, 2013 | 3 Comments

Two of the biggest problems facing local youth, and Chicagoans in general, are street crime and the obesity epidemic, partly due to a lack of safe outdoor spaces for physical activity. PlayStreets, an initiative launched last year by the Chicago Department of Public Health, addresses both of those initiative by closing off city streets to […]