Chicago

Are the Chicago White Sox Moving to the South Loop?

render-of-potential-new-white-sox-stadium.jpg

Does the Chicago White Sox brass read the Corner Side Yard? Don’t know if they do, but they sure seem to be familiar with my work.  read more »

Subjects:

Illinois: Skilled Moving In, Unskilled Moving Out — At a New Loss

chicago-downtown-view.jpg

Too often, people interpret population numbers at face value and make a determination of a place’s success or failure based on absolute numbers.  read more »

When City Streets Really Are War Zones

southside-chicago.jpg

In 2020, U.S. cities experienced a 30% increase in homicides relative to 2019, with firearms becoming the leading cause of death for children, adolescents and young adults  read more »

Top Zip Codes for New Apartments: 2018 - 2022

Downtown_Dallas_from_Reunion_Tower.jpg

Rentcafe.com has just published a list of the 51 ZIP Codes in the United States that have had the most apartment construction over the last five years (2018-2022).  read more »

MAGA Attacks on Cities Are Not Working

Trump_Visits_St_Johns_Episcopal_Church.jpg

We’re 13 months away from the 2024 presidential election, and just 3 months away from the primaries. The dominant themes of the election are forming. The Republicans have let it be known that one theme will be the crime, drugs, homelessness, and the general lawlessness of “Democrat-run” cities is a disqualifying factor for Dems, and a point in their favor.  read more »

The Urban Doom Loop and Experiential Advantage

SCB-30-N-LaSalleAerial.jpg

Let’s talk about the “urban doom loop”.

There were quite a few pundits who believed that the Covid pandemic would be the catalyst for a profound transformation of cities.  read more »

Beauty and the Rust Belt, Part 2: The Lakefront Dividend Example

chicago-lakefront.png

Here’s a followup to some of the points made in my last post, and a response to readers and Twitter (X) commenters.

First, a quick refresh on my earlier post.  read more »

Subjects:

Comparing Canadian and U.S. Metropolitan Areas

peace-arch-us-canada.jpg

Canada and the United States are among a minority of national governments that formally designate metropolitan areas. Metropolitan areas are labor and housing markets which include a core urban area (built up or developed area) as well as rural territory  read more »

Next Up for Suburban Urbanism

stadium-chicago-master-plan.jpg

Suburban urbanism is making another cameo appearance.

As most followers of cities know, the lack of housing affordability in large cities, combined with the impact of the rising work-from-home phenomenon since the start of the Covid pandemic, has provided a powerful one-two punch to cities  read more »

Remote and Hybrid Work Continues Appeal in the US and Canada

nordstrom-downtown-SF-closing.jpg

Despite the continuing pressure from employers for employees to work on-site, working from home continues at a strong pace. Just released data from WFH Research indicates that 41.3% of US workers worked at home at least part of the time between March and June 2023.  read more »