Two white elephants
09/16/2009
In may be a shock to learn that an important part of the western edge of the Loop is officially considered blighted. That precise definition, however, is the legally required justification for the Canal/Congress Tax Increment District. Read more...
UIC's outreach?
It's got to be all-out
09/16/2009
The University of Illinois-Chicago’s current master planning process is a bit passive aggressive. Online, at www.uic.edu/master_plan, the school has posted links to a blog about the plan, to files and to downloads. There’s a short history of planning at the school and documents about the governance structure of the effort. Lots to browse through and learn. Read more...
Surrounded by clout
09/09/2009
Clout controversy surrounds me.
The University of Illinois, where I work, and Whitney Young Magnet High
School, where I serve on the local school council, are both being
investigated internally and by federal authorities for the part clout
may have played in their admissions practices. It is not my role with
either institution to assess admissions procedures, but I do have an
opinion.
Read more...
Students and the South Loop
09/09/2009
The Loop and South Loop as a mecca for university students is something of an old story at this point. Some 65,000 students now live and study downtown, according to the Chicago Loop Alliance. Read more...
Closer to reality
Remain skeptical, to the end
09/02/2009
We've spilled much ink on dead trees over the last several months over a hypothetical situation: the 2016 summer Olympics, which the city has pursued with the ardor of a teenager in love. Read more...
Free reign
09/02/2009
Well, we're glad the Department of Buildings is dropping its $20,000 fines against West Loop artist Kathy Kozan. Read more...
The photos of our lives
08/26/2009
Two bulldogs in front of a garage on 8th Street. A dim-lit swimming pool in green surrounded by red brick. A bird’s-eye view slice of Printers Row from a nearby rooftop. These were the winning images in the annual South Loop Neighbors photo contest, as announced last Friday at a well-attended reception at Chicago Community Bank. Read More...
Grocery process isn't over
Bring on the next phase
08/26/2009
So after years of tense community meetings, court battles and petitions, it’s Pete’s Fresh Market at Madison and Western. The firm, selected by the city to build at the vacant Near West Side parcel (with much input from the neighborhood), plans an $18 million, 50,000-square-foot store, about 150 new, full-time jobs and additional new retail options. Read more...
Saving Walter
Next phase of Reese should include Gropius buildings
08/19/2009
One of the fascinating aspects of the Michael Reese Hospital campus is its mixture of architectural styles. The Prairie-style old main hospital structure and the imposing brick nurses’ residence brush up against Walter Gropius-designed medical pavilions built in the post-WWII era. Read more...