a "hypothetical" moral dilemma

Hypotethical issues can be so much more interesting to discuss since they lack the nuances and politics of real situations. So I'll offer this one up. Let's imagine there is a major city that on the eve of the jet age decided to build an airport somewhere on its northwest outskirts. After this city built the airport and with the growth of air traffic, not only the city area around the new airport grew, but it stimulated an enormous growth in the suburban area beyond, with the vast majority of this areas businesses built due to their proximity to the airport. Residential growth was predicated on this growth as well. Fast forward into the future. The city needs to expand its airport. The airport is an economic engine for its whole metropolitan engine. Its expansion is viewed as essential if this metro area is to keep its edge. Problem is the suburban area adjacent to the airport will need to give up a portion of its land for airport expansion. The loss of that land will seriously affect thes suburban communities losing the land. What to do, what to do? If you could make a recommendation to this hypotetical city and its equally hypoetical suburbs, what would it be: Should the suburbs affected realize that their land affects the general good of a much, much larger region for now....and well into the future and agree to sell their land to the eminant domaine requirements of the general community? Should they realize they knew the airport was there before them and that their very growth and development was based on the airport? -or- Should the city respect the property rights of the sections of the suburbs in question and, as much as it needs the airport, realize that it is not right for it to take others land? (note: I'm just grateful we don't have to deal with this type of thorny issue here in Chicago! )>

a "hypothetical" moral dilemma

Hypotethical issues can be so much more interesting to discuss since they lack the nuances and politics of real situations. So I'll offer this one up. Let's imagine there is a major city that on the eve of the jet age decided to build an airport somewhere on its northwest outskirts. After this city built the airport and with the growth of air traffic, not only the city area around the new airport grew, but it stimulated an enormous growth in the suburban area beyond, with the vast majority of this areas businesses built due to their proximity to the airport. Residential growth was predicated on this growth as well. Fast forward into the future. The city needs to expand its airport. The airport is an economic engine for its whole metropolitan engine. Its expansion is viewed as essential if this metro area is to keep its edge. Problem is the suburban area adjacent to the airport will need to give up a portion of its land for airport expansion. The loss of that land will seriously affect thes suburban communities losing the land. What to do, what to do? If you could make a recommendation to this hypotetical city and its equally hypoetical suburbs, what would it be: Should the suburbs affected realize that their land affects the general good of a much, much larger region for now....and well into the future and agree to sell their land to the eminant domaine requirements of the general community? Should they realize they knew the airport was there before them and that their very growth and development was based on the airport? -or- Should the city respect the property rights of the sections of the suburbs in question and, as much as it needs the airport, realize that it is not right for it to take others land? (note: I'm just grateful we don't have to deal with this type of thorny issue here in Chicago! )>

Rockford--Chicago's next Big Bad Voodoo Daddy suburb?

It seems like every post-industrial washout town outside of Chicago is waiting in line to be the next Chicago commuter suburb. Gary and the entire NW Indiana area is getting Indiana State money and bipartisan support to reinvent itself as an attractive suburban enclave with Chicago's third regional airport and rail connections, etc. This is exciting stuff, and as I was leaving Chicago last week I stopped by the Indiana Welcome Center and picked up some brochures. I was delighted to find that Gary and NW Indiana are actually VERY serious about this, and they have a huge headstart over Peotone and the Illinois politicians who are still bickering over it. But now Rockford, with a progressive mayor, and in the complete opposite direction from us as Gary, seems to be ready to join the league of champs known as "Chicagoland". Today's Tribune had an interview with Rockford's new mayor, and it was pretty interesting. Any thoughts on Rockford and its pending acquisition by the Chicago empire? Here's the article: No reason to feel sorry for ourselves' Morrissey's plan to revive Rockford involves air, rail, the river and schools, plus a new way of thinking Published October 23, 2005 Meet the new face of crusty, care-worn Rockford: It's a young one. In April, Lawrence J. Morrissey was elected mayor at the age of 35, a rare independent in a machine-run town who trounced an incumbent Democrat with strong ties to Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. He had never before held public office. Raised on Rockford's upscale Northeast Side, Morrissey attended the local Boylan Catholic High School, then graduated magna cum laude from the University of Notre Dame in 1991. He earned a law degree from the University of Illinois in 1995, moved to Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood and practiced civil litigation. He returned to Rockford in the summer of 1997 after his father became ill, joining the family law firm and launching a real estate development operation. He got involved in efforts to revive the downtown and improve regional transportation. Morrissey ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2001, winning a better-than-expected 26 percent of the vote. In April, his grass-roots organization delivered a lopsided victory, and the cherubic attorney became "Mayor Morrissey." Improving the quality of life is essential for reviving Rockford, Morrissey says, and since taking office he has launched initiatives aimed at everything from cleaning up the drinking water to cracking down on truancy. Whether he can deliver remains to be seen. Morrissey spoke with Tribune senior correspondent Greg Burns at the Bacchus wine bar in downtown Rockford, where he's a regular. Dining on blackened sea scallops, he spoke for almost two hours about Rockford's future. Later, he also talked over the phone. Highlights of those conversations follow: Why did the people of Rockford put their faith in a young newcomer to politics like yourself? Desperation? As much as anything, people are excited about action and movement. It's time for leadership, it's time for action and this is what we're trying to provide. Rockford has a lot of resources and there's no reason to feel sorry for ourselves. How can Rockford compete? We've got to take advantage of the things like our riverfront, so we build the landscape to make us competitive. We'll be creating the look and feel of a competitive, modern, urban city. Unlike `Noplace-land' in suburbia, we have a symphony. We have an art museum. We have a real city. Competitive cities attract talent. You said in your campaign that nobody knows who is responsible for economic development in Rockford. Is that still the case? It's me. I certainly hope people look to me and say, `The buck stops here.' Why has Rockford had such fragmented leadership in the past? In the old days, there was a lot of control from private industry. You had families that created the wealth and opportunity. A lot of those old families are gone. A void existed. There's a demand today for very strong political leadership. That's how you survive in a very competitive marketplace. Is passenger rail service between Rockford and Chicago realistic? Absolutely. The cost is a pittance. Rails exist between here and Elgin. We can float our own bonds. You could check your bags once in Chicago and take the rails to [the Greater Rockford Airport]. We want our three runways here in Rockford to be considered part of the Chicago aviation system. How will you convince the state to devote more resources to Rockford in the future than it has in the past? Rockford has been divided a lot. We have not gotten our fair share of state dollars. The Democrats took us for granted, and the Republicans wrote us off. The opportunity, with me being an independent as mayor, is to work with everyone. You have a vote coming up on restoring home rule. Why do you want to bring it back after two decades without it? The lack of home rule sends the message that city leadership is distrusted. It's a matter of us being in charge of our own destiny. This community is ready to take responsibility for its future. What will you have accomplished by the next mayoral race in 2009? The most important thing I'm working on people won't see: The internal management of the city, performance- and accountability-based management, similar to what New York and Chicago are doing. The road map for the revival of a city is out there. If we keep the pace up, we should have plenty to talk about. What did you think of the economic-development slogan the city used in the past: "Rockford: A Different Kind of Greatness"? [Laughs] Awful. That sounds like, `The Yugo: A Different Type of Automobile.' Whoever came up with `A Different Kind of Greatness' was totally off from where the people are. It was low expectations, like we couldn't really be competitive. We can be very competitive>

Chicago: America's # 1 city?

This is going to be a most pervase & ironic way at looking at Chicago's national greatness, but I do believe it has merit: Most (if not all) of you read Blair Kaman's "High Anxiety" article on Chicago's evolving super high skyline in the Sunday Trib. The article's conclusion included this quotation: "There is a difference between a vital city and a healthy city. In a healthy city, traffic is not perpetually snarled, tall towers inspire awe rather than fear, and there is not a Darwinian struggle for access to light and views. Chicago's reach for the sky is heading in the right direction, but it must be refined if the cityscape is to reach its highest, humanistic poetntial - truly healthy rather than merely vital." That paragraph fascinates me. It brings up something that I truly believe: that the goose that lays the golden egg can be killed. In our most alpha of alpha cities, New York, I believe that that is a distinct possiblity. The pressure on Manhattan (and adjoining) real estate is so great and the city is so predicated on commercial expansion that it is subject to massive and inhumanly scaled development in a way that Chicago is not. The world places such a premium on Manhattan real estate and the city's own commercial orientation tends to value economics over aestetics. And while LA is not NY, I believe that LA, too, is subject to less control of its environment, less positive political pressure, and has more of a development-for-the-sake-of-development than Chicago. It also has an almost fatal desire to see its population grow to enhance its reputation. We live in a century when the unbelievable upturn in urban population will escalate at rates unheard of in the 20th century. The very urbanization that we view today as a positive will be reconsidered in increasingly oppressive urban envirnoments. Chicago, of our three largest cities, is IMHO, best geared to stay above the fray just because it does have the ability to keep it off the overerly active NY and LA radar screens. Sure, we're big and major, but not so big and major that we lose control of our environment. Look at California today: which projects the more positive urban setting: huge, sprawling, growing Los Angeles, or compact, environmentally interested, beautifully scaled San Francisco? My bias is definitely showing. New York and LA seem hell bent on being the size and complexity of Calcutta, something to which Chicago does not aspire. In the long run, using Kaman's terms, no matter how "vital" NY and LA will be, Chicago will be a lot more "healthy" (and still incredibly "vital"). In Chicago, we mind the store more than they do in NY and LA, and we have fewer outside pressures on what that store will look like. Chicago in the 21st century is in a poisition to offer up what no US city will be able to offer: the ultimate, complete urban setting with the high quality of life that you'd like to see with it.>

meet up?

anyone up for hookin up and grabbin a brew ? shoot the shit for a while? yes you should be worried because im a phyco killer !! j/k but seriousely i think it might be cool to meet a few of my fellow Chicago/ skyscraper/ urban/architecture etc. enthusiasts. not to be descriminitory but id prefer an over 21 crowd. so if your up for hangin out , downing a few bears while taking over some of the topics we love the most....CHICAGO, then let me know.let me hear your thoughts on this one way or the other and if yes then were and when?>

the city nobody knows what to do with

ItÂ's the city that America canÂ't figure out what to do with. ItÂ's the city that they graple with understanding and just canÂ't get it clear. ItÂ's the city that makes them walk away scratching their heads. It confounds. It frustrates. It defies categorization. The city? Chicago, of course. It just plain doesnÂ't add up. They look at it and it makes no sense. It appears to be a great city. It has all these elements of being world class, on being able to stand on its own two feet, in being able to more than proud of the urban gem it has become. ItÂ's clearly no Atlanta. Not a Seattle. A Houston either. Not even the same league. Its size and power even put such lumanaries like Boston and San Francisco in its wake. And yet, and yet...there is sits at mid-continent. Inland. Fly over country. OK, the capital of the interior. Classy and sophisticated but on a big lake rather than an ocean.The city in fly-over country that transcends fly-over country. And yet itÂ's not coastal. Coast-like, but not coastal. You can speak about its industrialization and the decline of said industry the way you discuss Detroit. Or Cleveland. But everybody knows itÂ's not Detroit or Cleveland. Or New York or LA either, for that matter. But, well, it would be, you know, if it were only coastal. But, well, itÂ's not coastal, so how can we take it seriously?. And yet, damn it, it sure can seem a lot more of a big city than LA and more sophisticated in so many ways as well. ItÂ's New York, but, damn it, it comes across as New York without the hassles. It doesnÂ't look out to Europe across the Atlantic like New York or across the Pacific to Asia like LA. Yet itÂ's damned big and important to ignore. Do we say New York/LA or do we say New York/Chicago/LA? We just donÂ't know. Gosh darn. If we could only move it 800 or so miles east or maybe 2000 miles west, Chicago would make sense. WeÂ'd know what to do with it (which is unfortunately to over-run it with a population we couldnÂ't handle). But where it is...with all that flat land and corn. C'mon. No American city dominates its region the way that Chicago dominates its own (No NY, Boston, & DC in the east, Miami,Atlanta, Houston in South, LA, SF, Seattle out west). And yet its region is interior and its dominace nationally shouldnÂ't count. Or should it? New York is the worldÂ's greatest city, but Chicago is the great American city. Whatever the hell that means. Second City, compliment or curse? Damn! Chicago. The city that nobody knows what to do with.>

College Football: who do Chicagoans root for ?

Now I know that NW has a decent prgogram, but I'm wondering if lots of Chicagoans sort of adopt Notre Dame, seeing as how it's a short hop on the rail ?>

Is anybody out there on sensory over-load?

I ask this as a legitimate phycological issue: IS ANYBODY OUT THERE ON SENSORY OVER-LOAD? Let me explain: we come to this Chicago forum in numbers that outstrip other urban forums with a passion for our city and its development. I know in my case, my interest in a growing and evolving Chicago existed long before there was an internet to share my interest with others. And for so much of Chicago's incredible growth, it was a joy to follow the step-by-step progression of a city on the move in a positive direction, a city that added to its legendary attractions with more and more quality development. But today, the joy (though there) is being tempered. The problem I'm hitting today (which I honestly believe is a watershed moment in Chicago history) is that the city's transformation has lost for the individual the ability to tract it, stay on top of it, understand it. There are so many plans for blockbuster plans for huge projects in the city, including two towers exceeding 2000 feet smack on the previously hands-off lakefront. Buildings pushing or exceeding 1000 feet are planned on and near the Mag Mile, in Illinois Center, the Loop, the riverfront. Meanwhile, the number of high rise residential units blanketing the extended downtown area are mind boggling. None of us will question that if were to see a picture of the South Loop skyline in 5 years, we'd barely recognize it. Exciting, yes. But, at least to me, a little disconcerting as well. I can't stay on top of it, I can't conceptualize it all, and I certainly can't digest it enough to know where is all going and whether what we have afterwards is the same type of city we so love today. It's like, I hate to say it, there's do damned much for one person to take in. I read only a portion of the articles out there about the city in transformation, compared to the close to 100% in the past. ON ANY LEVEL, IS ANYBODY ELSE EXERIENCING THE SAME FEELINGS I APPARENTLY AM HAVING?>

Should LSD be extended? And should Rogers Park beaches be saved?

* 49th Ward Lakefront Referendum Organizers of the 49th Ward Lakefront Referendum met Saturday to launch a new referendum effort. The meeting was very positive and productive. We finalized the wording: "Should the City of Chicago, State of Illinois and Federal Government prohibit lakefront expansion from Hollywood Ave. to Evanston that includes extension of Lake Shore Drive or establishment of any other roadways, marinas or harbors, housing, major landfill or commercial development?" The obvious answer to this question is "YES!" Next we planned to canvass the ward to meet a minimum percentage of signatures in each precinct. That way no one area is over or under represented. Finally, we voted to undertake this effort with a broad constituency not owned by any one group; enlisting as many segments of the community as possible. How can you help now? We need people to circulate petitions and to take responsibility for meeting a minimum number of signatures in each precinct. But don't worry--no precinct requires more that 29 signatures so it's not a Herculean task! We expect to have petitions and poll sheets available by Tuesday so we can begin. (If you're interested in circulating petitions e-mail me!) A series of community organizing meetings are being planned and will be posted when details are finalized. Also, if you know of anyone who you think should endorse this referendum or could partner in our effort, pass that information along and we will do our best to include them: political organizations, community groups, block clubs, faith-based organizations, sewing circles, dog-walking groups, sororities/fraternities, senior centers, parent and school groups, businesses...everyone is welcome. Please join us in sending a stronger message to our elected officials, the Park District, and anyone else eyeing the north lakefront for development or profit. Anne Sullivan Communication Coordinator (this was taken copied from the broken heart of rogers park blog)>

Chicago: a hill of an idea?

Can hills be looked at neturally....a thing of beauty or a perhaps the exact opposite? I ask this because I know so many people consider a hilly landscape to be an important part of a city's charm. And while I agree that a place like San Francisco does incredible things with its hills that causes incredible beauty, there are also places I wouldn't want to see them. Like here. In Chicago. How about you: If our enivornment had been hilly (rather than flat), but with the same grid-system, would the city have been better or worse? As I said, from my perspective, much worse: the walkability, the way that the lakefront is comfortably attached to downtown and the neighorhoods, the ability of the el to run through the city, the flatness that keeps neighborhoods interconnected, the beauty of construction on optimum pieces of land, the way the skyline dominates the horizon......all these things make me look at Chicago flatness as much as a source of beauty and character as the hillls are in San Francisco.>

Is Avondale up and coming?

I was raised in the neighborhood of Avondale and I must say there has been a huge boom! I mean there are 59 housing units being built down the street, one condo building on the other side of the street, there have been townhomes popping all over the neighborhood's borders. Also they completed 16 houses on our block, built from scratch. The Frame ones are $750,000 and the brick ones are about $850,000. I mean the neighborhood is located very conveintely between the expressway and the blue and brown line (more the blue though). Has anyone seen this boom? I know Chicago as a whole is booming but this neighborhood seems to be pacing faster than most other neighborhhoods.>

The Decline of Hegewisch?

This another thread about Chicago's most remote neighborhood, Hegewisch. My question is, will Hegewisch experience the same decline and surge in crime as some of Chicago's other Southeast Side neighborhoods? The South Chicago area (area to the north of Hegewisch) is in dumps thanks to various steel mill closures and the Pullman/Riverdale area is doing pretty badly as well. Also, the Chicago suburbs to the south and the Indiana suburbs to the east are in decline as well. With decline on four sides, will Hegewisch decay along with those areas? It has recorded a population loss for 1990-2000 and maybe even 1980-1990. This is a troubling sign for the type of area Hegewisch is (working class/blue collar). Another question is: if the Red Line were extended along the South Shore tracks to Hegewisch (can be done reasonably easily), would Hegewisch be helped and if so, how much?>

Closing Meigs Field -- Daley's Stupidest Idea

I have always felt that the closing of Meigs was the dumbest thing that Daley has done--corruption scandals included. Call it Daley's Folly. Usually the city benefits from the mayor's whims, but this time they might as well have dumped several million dollars (at least) in the river and left Meigs open. I am reminded of just how stupid that as the city tries to come up with the funds needed to provide better access to the Loop through pricey train service to O'Hare. I'm surprised there's not more bad press about this one. See the following article in Crain's this week: Meigs closure 2 years later: It's for the birds City never recovered lost air traffic; park plan has no funding March 28, 2005 By Steven R. Strahler Chicago-area airports have failed to recapture a majority of flights lost when Mayor Richard M. Daley abruptly closed Meigs Field two years ago this week to make way for a park project that has yet to materialize. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) figures show that flights by corporate jets and other so-called general aviation aircraft into and out of the city's two remaining airports and three others in the area rose by an estimated 10,500 over the last two years. During its heyday, Meigs handled 30,000 to 40,000 flights annually. The net decline comes as corporate jet use has increased in the wake of Sept. 11. The FAA expects corporate jet activity this year to be 12% above 2001 levels. Midway Airport and north suburban Palwaukee Municipal Airport have registered the biggest gains since 2002. Managers of farther-out airports report the Meigs closing has had a negligible impact. Sales of jet fuel by the DuPage Airport Authority rose 13% last year, says Executive Director David Bird. The number of business jets based at Aurora Municipal Airport jumped 10 last year to 45, says Director Robert Rieser. Signs of activity at Meigs' former home, meanwhile, are negligible. The airstrip has been ripped out; a nature sanctuary and walking trail have been dedicated; the terminal building awaits redevelopment. ULTIMATE DESIGN The Chicago Park District says $500,000 has been spent since August to plant 500 trees and prairie grasses and install pathways and benches on the 91-acre Northerly Island, but that it will be three to five years before much more happens. In the interim, a concert venue that could generate $800,000 for the Park District during the first year is under consideration. By fall, the district hopes to have "three, maybe four preliminary conceptual designs" to present to community meetings, according to General Superintendent Timothy Mitchell. "Ultimately . . . we have to figure out the money," he says. (An 8-year-old proposal by the Lake Michigan Federation carried a $26-million price tag, he says.) Meanwhile, the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce says Meigs' closing may have disrupted but did not depress business travel to the Loop. "People have found other methods," says President and CEO Jerry Roper. But not everybody. David Vornholt, a commercial property manager in Lima, Ohio, says he used to fly to Meigs once a month for business and client entertainment. He says he'll do most of that in Ohio now after a $180 roundtrip cab fare between the Gary/Chicago International Airport and the Loop. Likewise, Curt Drumm, an executive vice-president at appliance maker Metalware Corp. in Manitowoc, Wis., now drives once or twice a year to Chicago, compared with 10 to 15 trips annually through Meigs. "It just floors me that someone who wants to promote business in the city would shut down an asset like that," he says.>

Illinois Income falls 12% in 6 years...

Proof that the decline of manufactoring in this state is really hamering the low and middle classes.... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Illinois incomes sinking Paychecks shrink more than $6,000 since 1999 By Barbara Rose Tribune staff reporter Published November 17, 2005 Illinois' median family income has dropped dramatically over the last six years, a sharper decline than in every other state except for Michigan, a new report reveals. The result is that household incomes here--adjusted for inflation--have fallen back to about where they were in 1989. These income losses, coming at a time when costs are rising for everything from housing to transportation, brings into sharp relief the troubling shift from good-paying manufacturing to lower-paying service jobs. Job growth, even during the booming 1990s, was fueled by lower-paying occupations and there's no sign this trend will reverse, the report said. Only two areas of the state--northeastern Illinois, anchored by Chicago, and the region south of East St. Louis--are expected to generate more high-wage jobs than low-wage jobs through 2012, according to the 94-page report, "The State of Working Illinois." The report was developed by the bipartisan Center for Tax and Budget Accountability in Chicago and Northern Illinois University with funding from the Joyce Foundation. It is the first in-depth look at how the nation's fifth-biggest economy is faring in a global economy in which factory jobs--which once supported families headed by workers with sometimes limited formal education--are rapidly disappearing. At the same time, job growth is being fueled by an expanding service industry, where the pay gap is widening between low-wage, low-skill jobs and higher-paying ones requiring college degrees. Median household income has fallen by 12 percent in Illinois since 1999. That represents a sharper loss than in any other state except for the 19 percent decline in Rust Belt Michigan, which has been battered by job losses in the auto sector. The Illinois decline is far higher than the nation's average decline of less than 4 percent for the six-year period, according to the report's authors. Illinois' median income of $46,132 in 2004, when adjusted for inflation, is about the same as in 1989, the report states. The only workers who scored sizeable wage gains since 1980 were those with college degrees, according to the report. The study confirms fears that many Illinois working families, especially minorities and women, are falling farther behind in an economy where good-paying jobs with benefits such as health insurance are harder to find. "It's clear we're at a very significant crossroads," said Ralph Matire, executive director for the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability. "Absolutely all net new job growth in this state has been in lower-paying service jobs. Generally speaking that means no health insurance benefits, no retirement, and working full-time for wages that pretty much cannot support a family of four." The report, modeled after the Washington-based Economic Policy Institute's biennial "The State of Working America," is intended to spark a policy debate about solutions. "Job creation is the single most important economic issue we've got in the state," Illinois Chamber of Commerce President Douglas Whitley said. "We have not benefited from the national recovery, and I think some Illinoisans have forgotten what prosperity looks like." Albert Eddington, 59, who raised five children in the once prosperous factory town of Galesburg, Ill., is a case in point. "At one time Galesburg was one of the best places to work," he said, ticking off the names of employers who have left town, including Maytag Corp., which began shutting down a refrigerator plant two years ago. Eddington, a lifelong factory worker, lost his $15.60 per hour Maytag job a year ago. Always before, he found another factory job, but not now. "They either offer part-time work or less than $7 an hour, everywhere from filling stations to restaurants to grocery stores," he said. "You just have to put your chin up and keep going. I don't really have any prospects now to speak of." Robert Hillyer, 35, another former Maytag worker who earned $14.75 per hour, went to welding school hoping to get a good job, but so far no luck. "There's not much around this area, I'm finding out," he said. In Chicago, Deneen White, 41, who worked for 22 years at Frederick Cooper Lamps on the city's Northwest Side until the plant shut down in August, has been filling out applications at fast-food restaurants and department stores. Their wages won't match the $12 per hour she made at Cooper, but she'd be happy to have a job. "I've even gone to day labor [sites] and waited all day without getting anything and wasted my bus fare," said White, who has lost 35 pounds from worry. Katherine Parks, 35, earned $11.50 per hour bagging potpourri for shipping at a distribution center on the Northwest Side until she got laid off a year before the business closed in the late 1990s. Now she works from her North Side home as a child-care provider in a state-subsidized program, earning $2.50 per child per hour, without benefits. "It gets hard at times," said the mother of three, who cares for as many as 12 children, working seven days a week. "You're basically barely making it." She said she holds out hope that her union, Service Employees International Union, which is negotiating with Illinois officials for better pay, will improve her situation. Union membership as well as education boosts real wages, according to "The State of Working Illinois." "From a worker standpoint, unions are one of the few things that led to higher wages and better benefits," said Matire. "There's still a role to play for unions. The question is, how do we take that role and make it positive" without hurting economic competitiveness. Caring for children and the elderly are among the fastest-growing occupations, yet also are among the lowest-paying, said Ann Ladky, executive director of Chicago-based advocacy group Women Employed. Women are disproportionately represented in lower-paying industries, the report said. "It's absolutely necessary that we figure out how to improve the quality and rewards of these jobs because they're very important to families," Ladky said. "There's just way too many women who are working full time and not earning enough to support themselves." The report documented a workforce that is growing more diverse, with minorities representing nearly one-third of workers last year, up from about 16 percent in 1980. Yet African-Americans and Hispanics have much higher rates of unemployment and earn far less than whites and Asians, even when they have comparable educational levels, the report found. "There clearly still is discrimination operating in the marketplace," Matire said. ---------- berose@tribune.com Copyright © 2005, Chicago Tribune>

Opinion of this building...

What is your opinion of the Prentice-Stone Pavilion in Streeterville? It was built by Bertrand Goldberg (Marina City) in 1975 as a women's hospital I believe. The building has a good chance of being torn down, should it be saved from demolition? http://www.emporis.com/en/il/im/?id=195781>

Chicago's Urban Holes

Every city had holes in its urban fabric; lots where development occurred at one point and then, for whatever reason, buildings were demolished at a later date. Such holes can also be caused by things that are out of place in a pedestrian city - like highway interchanges or projects - that required the demolition of buildings. These holes are particularly sad when they occur in high-density areas, and go for a long time without being filled. Some have found use as parking lots, or alternatively, nearby industries or other businesses have found uses for them (usually storage or truck parking). Chicago has many of these sites all over the city, but I'd like to compile a list of the most pressing ones, and suggest uses for the site that don't include parking or storage. So - identify and suggest!>

Big 10 b'ball men & women to Indy for 5 years: do we care?

The proud Big Ten conference, born and raised in the Chicago, HQ'd in Schaumburg, highly dependent on Chicago media to keep it in focus, the massive base for B10 alumni... Chicago-Is-Big-Ten got outbid by Indianapolis for both the mens and womens basketball tournament for the next five years. Far outbid; aggressive Indy went to great lengths to land this prize. The question is: do we care? Does the city that is the heart and soul of the Big Ten care that little, ol' yet feisty Indy took this event from us? Should we care? I don't know, but I sure suspect the answer: to know what that is, ask yourself if the Big East tournament will ever play outside the Big Apple? My sense? We blew it.>

Great Lakes to be Cleaned...

from cnn.com: CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- A partnership of federal, state and local officials proposed a 15-year, $20 billion plan Monday for cleaning up the Great Lakes, the source of drinking water for 30 million people and a vital link in the nation's shipping network. The plan makes numerous recommendations on how to fix the lakes' most pressing problems, including the proliferation of invasive species, the deterioration of animal habitats, toxic hot spots blamed on pollution and tainted wetlands and tributaries. "We think it's an excellent blueprint or guide for directing our collaborative efforts," said Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen Johnson. He was joined at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium by federal, state, local and tribal officials to unveil the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy. President Bush last year ordered the EPA to assemble the partnership to coordinate Great Lakes cleanup efforts. The move followed a Government Accountability Office report describing existing programs devoted to restoring the lakes as disjointed. Eight states and two Canadian provinces border the lakes, which contain 20 percent of the world's fresh surface water. The plan is the result of more than a year of work. Among the partnership's recommendations are restoring wetlands and other crucial habitat, and upgrading municipal sewers to stop the overflow of raw sewage into the lakes. The partnership also called for new federal laws to prevent invasive species from entering the lakes, and reducing discharge of mercury, PCBs, dioxin, pesticides and other toxins into the lakes. Environmental groups warned that the work needed to support the plan and to save the health of the lakes will take a commitment of $300 million in the fiscal 2007 federal budget. Supporters of the project said they will turn to Congress if $300 million to back the plan is not included in Bush's budget. "Congress has the ability to step in and, we'd argue, the responsibility to step in," said Cameron Davis, executive director of the Alliance for the Great Lakes. U.S. Rep. Vernon Ehlers, R-Michigan, said he supports the plan, but cautioned that this season's devastating hurricanes changed the federal budget for years to come. Mayor Richard Daley and the governors of the Great Lakes states have asked Bush to support the new funding. "I am well aware that there are competing priorities and tight budgets," Daley said. "However, investments we make now will prevent the need for far larger expenditures in the future." Ohio Gov. Bob Taft said states are prepared to contribute financially. "If we hesitate to spend money, we will lose time, and we do not have time to lose," he said.>

"In the loop"

This is a question purely for the sake of speculatory boredom...if thatÂ's even a term. What is the origin of the term "In the loop" as to mean to be included or to know whatÂ's going on, or inside scoop. Is it possible that the term originaly meant literally that your "in the loop" as in downtown Chicago? Well if you look at a few basic facts about cbd's you might come to believe it is actually possible that the term did in fact stem from this. cbd's are the center of the cities universe so to speak, in that a majority of the action happens their , the gossip flows feely and if you keep your ears to the ground you can pick up more "inside" info than if you were outside of the CBD. The fact that ChicagoÂ's loop is recognized by many as the center of not only Chicago but the entire Midwest. so is it so far fetched to think that based on this idea that "in the loop" was a term that did refer to the actual loop and meant that you were getting the "inside" info because of the location?>

Will "facts on the ground" end the era of ignoring?

I understand that our Second City complex hasn't completely disappated and we still probably do have a chip on our shoulders as to any preceived slight to Chicago on the part of the national media. This issue has generated so many of our threads. I would also be remiss to say there aren't grains of truth in our perceptions that we don't always get our fair due. So let me pose the following. It is based on the following assumption (if you don't buy the assumption, you can't buy into the argument): between new super high rises announced and planned, new museums, river and lake-front development, tremendous residential growth downtown....and more, the rate of growth and development in this city is incredible...and off the charts. With the huge number of serious plans out there, it seems certain Chicago will be a vastly different city in 5 to ten years. If you buy that assumption, do you believe that the facts on the ground, the very nature of this incredible city we are building, will be so great by any global measure that the media, the coasts, the world for that matter, will find us impossible to ignore? In other words, did we deal with Chicago's exposure to the world not by trying to influence the world, but by making us a force that it gladly had to deal with?>

Inland Steel Photo Series.....

I found this at ChicagoCarLess. His text Quote:> Originally Posted by www.chicagocarless.com > Architectural porn for the modernists among you, Devyn recently completed posting a five-part photo series on Chicago's venerable Inland Steel building. Last month, during the City of Chicago's annual and aptly named Great Places and Spaces weekend, the new owners of the building at 30 W. Monroe threw it open to the public for a rare and surprisingly comprehensive tour. Devyn with his camera in hand and me in tow attended the tour and got some pretty cool shots. Architecture buffs among you will recall that Frank Gehry, the Los Angeles starchitecht designer of Millennium Park's Pritzker Pavillion who never met a curve he didn't like, uncharacteristically fell in love with this rectilinear building when first he laid on eyes in the 1950s. The first post-war skyscraper to be built in the Loop and now a city landmark, Gehry and a group of investors, including tour leader Harvey Camins, bought the tower from Mittal (nee Inland) Steel in August 2005 with the intention of returning it to its former modernist glory. Success remains to be seen, but if all of the new owners share the same enthusiasm of Camins, who practically gushed with love for the building throughout the tour, I'd bet money on it. A click-through to Devyn's site above will take you to the highlights of the tour, including a visit to Mittal Steel's former headquarters floor, shots back at Inland Steel from inside (yes, inside) groovy new One South Dearborn across the alley, and a peek at the cleanest underground garage you ever saw in your life. Camins made mention that there might be future tours. Perhaps. But the biggest inside tip of the day was that Camins and the other owners were trying to persuade Gehry to design new entrances for the Blue Line's Monroe station, in front of the building. And I'd bet he'd give those Bilbao Fosteritos a run for their money, too.> >And the link to the actual photo series. I removed a couple of the links from the quoted text, and of course if anyone, aka the owners of either site mentioned, want this removed please mail me.>

NYC vision: does Chgo have one????

The skyscaper page forum had an outstanding thread on NYC's vision for itself by 2016: http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=107019 while I have to say that some of it did seem like hyperbole (this things always do), it certainly had enough quality bells and whistles (delightfully spread through all 5 boroughs) to give NYC a blue print of what it could become. Check it out and, more importantly, let me know: DOES CHICAGO (AN INNOVATIVE CITY IF EVER THERE WAS ONE) HAVE ANY SUCH BURHAM-SCALED PLANS IN PLACE FOR OUR FUTURE???>

Chicago and the race

Pease be considerate of others feelings, but no sugar coated or p/c responses speak from your heart. Don't criticize others opinions, don't argue. it's not that kind of thread. Answer 1 or all of these questions. 1. Why does it seem that black nieghborhood regardless of income levels,take south suburbs for example, are commercially underserved. 2. Is there a perception that diverse nieghborhoods(Rogers Park, Hyde Park) are more dangerous or racially volitile. I was talking to a northside cabby and he was telling me how dangerous Rogers park was. While it wasn't perfect I found it very livable. 3. Chicago nieghborhoods are not as racially diverse as New Yorks. This is something that I envy about New York. Do you believe Chicago can stand to be more intergrated. 4. will mixed income housing work, why or why not. Blacks, white, hispanics, asians... everybody should be chiming in on this subject. I am black man living in south suburbs (Matteson). favorite Chicago nieghborhoods Hyde Park, Rogers Park, and Uptown.>

Subsidized Housing

A terrific article on Section 8 abuse by the Tribune. We shouldn't get too proud of our city's clean-up until we end shit like this. Following this, however, is an article proving subsidized housing isn't all bad. I know the woman who runs the organization mentioned in the second article. * Landlords shrug off city fines, lawsuits By John Bebow and Antonio Olivo Tribune staff reporters Published May 23, 2005 Bruce Adelmann, whose previous work experience included supplying cocaine to college kids, was in federal prison when he got the idea for a new calling: real estate. After his release, he got a job as a janitor working for another ex-con, Joseph Zugalj. A property manager, Zugalj had been convicted for mail fraud after he and a partner botched an insurance scam to set fire to their cabin cruiser, the S.S. Minnow. By 2000, Zugalj and Adelmann were at the center of Chicago's subsidized housing program, principals in one of the city's largest "Section 8" property management firms, collecting $1 million a year in taxpayer-funded rent. Apartments they managed routinely failed housing inspections, and their company, Hyde Park Realty, racked up tens of thousands of dollars in unpaid fines. By late 2003 Hyde Park Realty was belly up, leaving a trail of unresolved lawsuits. But Zugalj and Adelmann went on to collect hefty Section 8 revenues under new corporate names, companies that continued to fail many inspections. As Chicago and other cities around the nation sought to escape decades of public housing failures, they began turning to private landlords to provide shelter for society's poorest families. But Chicago's subsidized Section 8 landlords have failed four out of every 10 inspections since 2000, according to a Tribune analysis of 230,000 records. The story of Hyde Park Realty shows that landlords have benefited from the influx of public money without being held accountable for the overall quality of their portfolios. In fact, regulators have never before checked whether landlords consistently failed inspections, or accumulated unpaid fines or paid taxes and utilities. Chicagoans using government Section 8 rent vouchers now outnumber public housing residents 3-1. The Chicago Housing Authority has spent nearly $1.2 billion on subsidized rent in the last five years. The money goes to more than 15,000 Chicago landlords, both owners and property managers, all of whom are responsible for the quality of the dwellings. But at least a dozen firms that collected more than $1 million each from 2000 to 2004 failed the majority of their housing inspections, according to data reviewed by the Tribune. Hyde Park Realty was one of them, collecting $5.6 million in government rent from 2000 to 2003. Zugalj and Adelmann had come a long way from their criminal convictions, which do not disqualify them from participating in Section 8. The story of their journey emerges through civil court records, criminal records, inspections and interviews with both men and Hyde Park Realty's lawyer. `Dirty laundry' They met in the mid-1990s. Zugalj was on probation for his 1993 federal felony conviction in the scheme to sink the 36-foot S.S. Minnow. The boat was lost in Lake Calumet. "I guess everybody has some dirty laundry in their closet," Zugalj said recently. Zugalj said he did not know about Adelmann's past when he hired the affable former Southern Illinois University student as a janitor at Hyde Park Realty. Adelmann was just out of prison then, convicted for conspiracy to deliver in excess of 5 kilograms of cocaine. From 1988 to 1990, he charged $1,000 an ounce for cocaine while serving as a middleman between a Chicago dealer and campus dealers in Champaign, according to court records. His original sentence was cut in half after his cooperation helped agents nab a higher-ranking Chicago dealer. "We were just a bunch of kids," Adelmann said. "I just got caught up in a conspiracy. The only thing I was worried about [upon getting out of prison] was `Am I going to have a job?'" After his release in 1995, Adelmann worked hard at Hyde Park Realty, and soon became a building manager. By 2000, Zugalj allowed him to buy in as vice president of the company. Like other large firms, Hyde Park Realty had a bustling business managing subsidized apartments on behalf of absentee owners and investors. But Hyde Park Realty's problems steadily mounted. From 2000 to 2003, regulators cut off the rent in individual Hyde Park Realty apartments 245 times--almost twice as many cutoffs as any other landlord in the city--because of lead paint hazards, bad plumbing, inadequate heat and other problems, according to CHA records. In 2001, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency fined Hyde Park Realty $20,000 for failing to warn tenants of potential lead paint hazards in dozens of apartment buildings. The company paid that fine, but has not rectified more than $100,000 in other court judgments ranging from housing violations to age discrimination, according to court records. In 2003, the city's debt collection attorneys tried to settle 10 unpaid Hyde Park Realty fines for $60,839. Zugalj wrote a check for the full amount and hand-delivered it to the city's attorney, according to court records. The check bounced. The company then sought to escape some of the charges on a technicality: the city did not put "Company Inc." after "Hyde Park Realty" in the court filings. So, Hyde Park's attorney argued, the city sued the wrong company. A judge ruled in the city's favor. The fines remained unpaid this spring, according to city Law Department spokeswoman Jennifer Hoyle. "It was a very odd case for them to just stop payment after reaching a settlement," Hoyle said. "Hyde Park Realty is one of the companies we have had trouble collecting from. They are a company we see in our collections a lot." Hyde Park Realty's attorney, Ron Roman, appealed some of the unpaid fines, arguing that the city sent violation notices to the wrong addresses, leaving the company in the dark for months. Some of the fines were dismissed on appeal. Numerous others remain unpaid. What will Hyde Park Realty and its former principals do to resolve the remaining unpaid judgments? "To my knowledge, nothing," Roman said. "Whether those are valid or whether there is error in them, I don't know. Unless they ultimately direct me to contest them, we never will know." Zugalj blamed others for code violations, failed inspections and rent cutoffs. He said Hyde Park Realty retained less than 5 percent of the millions in Section 8 the company collected. Zugalj said most of the money was passed on to the building owners who mostly stay out of the daily operations of the buildings. He said he is required to get approval before spending more than $500 on any repair. Hyde Park Realty had dealt with 30 to 40 owners in the last five years, and the majority of them did not properly care for their buildings, he said. "We physically can't force an owner to do something," Zugalj said. "Last year alone we dropped a dozen owners. We don't want to deal with these bad owners anymore. It's a very tough business. ... As a management company you are always open to litigation. If there is anything we are personally liable for, we will certainly do our duty and take care of them." Officials declined to say whether they were pursuing those owners as well as Hyde Park Realty for the fines. One group of owners that once employed Hyde Park Realty has sued Zugalj and Adelmann, alleging that they disbanded to "hinder, delay, or defraud" creditors. Zugalj called that charge a "fallacy," and said their breakup was a simple matter of two businessmen deciding to go in different directions. New businesses, same woes Zugalj started Preferred Hyde Park Properties, while Adelmann is the property manager for All Properties Real Estate, Inc. Adelmann said he also co-owns buildings with other investors. Since the Hyde Park breakup, both Preferred Hyde Park and All Properties have collected more than $1 million in Section 8 rent while failing more than 40 percent of inspections through 2004. Zugalj and Adelmann's housing quality record and unresolved legal judgements are "obviously something we will follow up on," said Meghan Harte, director of resident services for the CHA, which oversees the voucher program. In March, the CHA passed new rules threatening to kick out landlords who consistently fail housing inspections or don't pay bills and fines. The purpose of the new rules is to "provide greater protection" for some 36,000 low-income families living in Section 8 apartments. "We want to make sure we're not paying the left hand while they're being delinquent on the right," Harte said. Regulators have never before asked those questions because they were preoccupied with the more basic tasks of moving thousands of families from public housing to apartments in neighborhoods, Harte said. "Had we known what we've seen today," Harte said in reaction to the Tribune's findings, "we would have definitely been looking at this earlier." At the All Properties office in Chatham, behind the thick glass of a teller window where tenants do business, Adelmann manages clerks and ringing phones. Section 8 accounts for about a third of his business, more than 200 subsidized tenants altogether. Dressed in a crisp pink dress shirt and khaki pants, Adelmann sucked on a cigarette one recent morning and interrupted an interview to take another tenant phone call. "I'm only getting $716 for your unit," Adelmann said, telling the subsidized tenant he wasn't renewing the Section 8 lease. "I can rent it on the regular market rather than what you're giving me, or what Section 8 is giving me. I don't want to deal with the headaches, with the inspections and stuff," he said. Hanging up, he shrugged. Adelmann acknowledged some inspection failures are "legitimate," but argued others are the result of fail-happy inspectors. "I wouldn't put someone somewhere where I wouldn't live myself," he said. He parks a shiny, late model white Cadillac sedan behind his office, but on a recent property tour, he left it behind in favor of an SUV. While driving through Englewood, his cell phone rang constantly--remodelers sought directions, fishing buddies relayed Lake Michigan coho tales--while Adelmann sang along to the radio's classic rock tunes: "Who are you ... who-who, who-who. ..." At 77th and Stewart, he walked through a gut-rehab on a courtyard building containing 37 one-bedroom apartments. It's one of several buildings he recently purchased with other investors. He said he paid $650,000 for it and will put in an additional half-million dollars. The units in another sprawling building a few blocks away featured new paint, refinished tile and wood floors, and a bright atmosphere that contrasted with the companies' records of failed inspections. Still, he acknowledged, the remodeling job hadn't yet been approved for a Section 8 tenant because the back porch still has flaking paint that might be a lead-poisoning hazard. "I've almost gotten shot in some of these buildings," he said, a touch of a boast in his voice. "People don't like change." His plan is to keep changing. Keep moving up in the world of real estate. Ease out of Section 8 for market-rate tenants. Watch buildings appreciate. Retire in his 50s. "I'm trying to get into commercial properties now," he said. * Building shows Section 8 doesn't have to be subpar By John Bebow and Antonio Olivo Tribune staff reporters Published May 23, 2005 At the Major Jenkins Apartments in Uptown, managers don't wait for government inspectors to tell them what's wrong. Instead, they conduct their own inspections every month. That hands-on approach helps explain why Major Jenkins is one of the cleanest and safest subsidized apartment buildings in Chicago. The 160-unit building has taken in $2.9 million in taxpayer-funded Section 8 rent in the last five years. It was inspected more than 600 times and had a pass rate of 92.5 percent. Many of the biggest landlords have failed more than half of their inspections. "We are not the absent landlord," said Lillie Cotton, the property manager at Major Jenkins. The building, a former flop house just north of Asian restaurants and herb shops along colorful Argyle Street, is one of nine operated by the non-profit agency Lakefront Supportive Housing. Named after a former tenant, the building houses many who were previously homeless, have little or no income, and have struggled with substance abuse or mental-health problems. Section 8 subsidies covers most of the rent for the tenants. Renting for $475 per month, the units at Major Jenkins are single-room occupancy, with small beds and tidy bathrooms and kitchens akin to well-kept college dorm rooms. Tile hallways are polished to a shine. The elevators are spotless. When one unit recently came vacant, maintenance workers prepped it for the next tenant by carefully painting the trim in two colors, lavender and mint green, and left not so much as a single unfilled nail hole on the walls. "A lot of people in the building are like family," said Mary Prentiss, 58, who said she lived in a shelter before moving to Major Jenkins 10 years ago. Lakefront Supportive Housing's motto is "more than a roof." With the help of government grants and charitable donations, social workers closely assist all tenants with counseling and a wide range of activities, from self-help groups to movie nights. The group budgets $250 per unit per year to cover major repairs beyond routine wear and tear. Lakefront Vice President Robert Banta acknowledges that for-profit landlords lack the social service funding and staff that help Major Jenkins run smoothly. But he argued there is still "no excuse" for any Section 8 landlord to fail housing quality inspections. "It's not a business with a lot of secrets in it," he said. "If you don't have the money to properly operate a building, maybe you should consider selling the building to somebody who can.">

Ban Soldier Field Attendance

I say everybody bans Sunday's Bears game in protest to the new invasive policies of everyone getting frisked before they enter the stadium. If there is a an issue of a "credible" reason then its acceptable in limited instances. I say enough..... thoughts....>

Naperville?

Hi guys! I used to have a penfriend in Naperville, IL (dunno what ever happened to her). I was wondering if some of you had any pics of this apparently very lovely little town. I'd be extremely grateful for any images you might have. Thanks.>

Story on Drexel Boulevard

This is great news! Drexel is gorgeous. Boom on the boulevard Developers take on Drexel, whether mansion or multifamily Advertisement House - Content Promotion By Jeanette Almada Special to the Tribune February 27, 2005 When Juan Isabelle prepared to relocate his family to the city from south suburban Lansing three years ago, he happened upon Drexel Boulevard. "I didn't know how we were going to get there, but I just knew we were going to get there," Isabelle said of the once-grand South Side street. "We looked in the South Loop, in the West Loop and some South Side neighborhoods. But when we found this [apartment at 47th Street and Drexel Boulevard] we knew we were home. "Living on Drexel Boulevard is a dream. What's so exhilarating is the history -- the history of architecture, the history of culture. It is a very prominent street to live on," Isabelle said. For decades, this jewel of Chicago's boulevard system was anything but a draw -- its mansions deteriorating alongside vacant lots. Now, Drexel Boulevard is experiencing a renaissance -- and it's long overdue, many South Siders say. "It is one of the premiere boulevards in the city, some of the most beautiful buildings in our area are on Drexel Boulevard," Ald. Toni Preckwinkle (4th) said of the 2-mile stretch between the fountains -- at Oakwood Boulevard on the north and Hyde Park Boulevard on the south. All three streets are part of the city's boulevard system, designed by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted in the late 1800s. Developers are rehabbing old mansions and other homes, as well as multifamily buildings up and down the boulevard. The grand old buildings have lured developer interest, if not investment dollars, for decades. The John A. McGill Mansion at 4938 S. Drexel Blvd. was slated for demolition in 1979, when developer Robert King fell in love with the regal shell-of-a-building. He bought it and rehabbed it into an apartment building. "The copper had been stripped from the roof, and so the roof was caving in. The wainscoting, antique tiling, carved balustrade, handrails and fireplaces all had been stripped away. It actually deserved to be demolished," King said of the building. He converted the building into 34 condominiums in 2001. An even greater indication that Drexel is turning a significant corner is the substantial new construction on the boulevard's large number of vacant, city-owned lots. The city acquired the lots individually as buildings on them became vacant and dangerously decrepit. Most of the vacant lots along Drexel are between 48th Street and Oakwood. Construction has started or will start by spring on more than 200 units on a dozen of those former city parcels, according to James Wilson, a Chicago Department of Planning and Development project manager. He works with Preckwinkle and the North Kenwood/Oakland Community Conservation Council to select development projects for the area. Another 100 units will go up along the boulevard by year-end in projects for which land sale deals are in the city's approval pipeline, according to Wilson. "And we are still in the process of looking for developers or negotiating with developers for several large and moderate-sized parcels," Wilson said. He conservatively estimates that by the end of the decade more than 400 units of housing will have been built on the city's vacant parcels on Drexel. The convergence of vacant land and developer interest seemed serendipitous to city planners at first. "As developers became interested in building on Drexel Boulevard, we realized at some point that the [parcels they wanted to buy] were key sites, that we had the opportunity to bring grandeur back to the boulevard and we raised the bar for architecture and quality," Wilson said. "Once we realized that we had a lot of land there, we took the opportunity to hold developers to higher standards," Preckwinkle said. "The mass and design of projects already being built there, as infill housing, are really reflective of and complementary to the beautiful streetscape. They are projects that mirror and respect the grandeur of the boulevard." The 137-unit Jazz on the Boulevard project significantly steps up the momentum of redevelopment, according to Denise Casalino, Department of Planning and Development commissioner. "It is going up on several blocks of the boulevard [between 41st Street and 42nd Place] and will have significant prominence and presence," Casalino said of the $35 million project that is named to recall the boulevard's jazz era heyday. Forty of the first 59 Jazz on the Boulevard units under construction have been sold, according to David Chase, president of the Thrush Cos., Chicago, which is co-developing the project with Granite Development and Century Place Development Corp., also of Chicago. The development's mix of building styles reflects a diversity of architecture that went up along Drexel over time, according to Chase. "Up and down the boulevard, you see single-family homes with undulating facades . . . and interesting features that provide context and texture. But over time multifamily buildings went up and they are relatively monolithic. You can't ignore them," Chase said. Jazz on the Boulevard buildings include flat-topped, multifamily buildings, as well as rowhouses and townhouses that "clearly resemble more of the architectural features of larger single-family homes. They have half-levels below grade and have beautiful bay [windows], articulated with brick and stone. Some are arched and some are square," Chase said. Developers building on the city's parcels collaborate closely with Preckwinkle and city planners, according to Wilson. "We examine the block around a potential development site, study historic buildings on that block, and then sit down with the developer and try to guide development regarding what is already on that block," he said. "If there is a graystone adjacent to their development site, we look for architectural detail in the new building that complements details on the adjacent building." Many of those developers have proven to be nimble at building historic-compliant buildings in previous projects throughout the North Kenwood neighborhood. Jenny Builders, which is building two projects on Drexel; Sutherland/Pearsall Development Corp., building five projects; and Thrush have all built several projects on the South Side. Twenty-six years after he bought McGill Mansion, King is building 10 townhouses to the east and west end of the mansion's nearly 1-acre lot. "When I bought the mansion, the city gave me the right to add the townhouses once a market discovered the boulevard," King said. Juan Isabelle bought a four-bedroom townhouse at Sutherland/Pearsall's Drexel Square project, under construction at 4450 S. Drexel. "It is evident that some of the past richness and history is coming back, is being filtered back into the area," Isabelle said of the amount of redevelopment. He expects to occupy his townhouse by early next year. Isabelle also is satisfied that his $420,000 townhouse represents a good deal. "We thought our price was very reasonable, since we will be across the street from single-family homes that are currently selling for prices from $600,000 to $650,000," Isabelle said. "It seems like North Kenwood/Oakland is really hot, but Drexel in particular is getting a lot of interest from buyers," said Mark Sutherland, partner in Sutherland/Pearsall. "We are selling our units faster than we can build them to a wide range of buyers. They are coming from the suburbs and from the North Side, where things have gotten expensive. Many of them grew up in the neighborhood and moved to the North Side or Evanston or to the south suburbs. Now they want to come back. A lot of them work at the University of Chicago or at one of the hospitals in the area." South Siders who are building along the boulevard say the resurgence was always in the mail. "I was born and raised at 51st and Woodlawn Avenue and wanted to live on Drexel Boulevard," said Andrew Dibble, a developer who will move with his family into one of six houses he is building at 47th Street and Drexel, on land he bought from the city. Dibble is negotiating with the city to buy a parcel on Drexel at 43rd Street, where he will build 65 to 70 units, according to Wilson. "I have watched the whole North Kenwood area come back to life and Drexel Boulevard seems like a culmination of that process," said John Jones, a young developer from Hyde Park who's Blueprint LLC is building nine three-story townhouses that will wrap around the northwest corner of 48th Street and Drexel. "Now the area west of Drexel is coming up as well, though properties going up there are selling for prices about 10 to 20 percent less than similar properties in North Kenwood and on Drexel Boulevard," Sutherland said. With an inventory of vacant land west of the boulevard, the city is cultivating a master plan for the area, according to Wilson. "We are taking developer names and numbers while we work on a master plan for mixed-use development along Cottage Grove Avenue between Pershing Road and 51st Street," Wilson said.>

Cool Webcam (LIVE)

http://chicago.about.com/gi/dynamic/...26height%3D480>

"Don't give us NYC"...a uniquely Chicago atttitude?

First, let me get this one perfectly straight: • this thread is not a put down to New York • this thread is not a put down to Chicago It is strictly an inquiry. When the whole Field's/Macy's issue came up, one particular point got a lot of play: If you know Chicago, you know it wants its own institutions. It doesn't want New York institutions coming to Chicago, particularly to replace an institution that Chicago thinks is better. Personally I think that is fairly pervasive Chicago atitude. [BIf it is, if I'm right, is it a uniquely Chicago attitude, particular part of the Chicago-New York relationship that other cities with a major relationship with New York do not have?[/b] Think of other cities that have a major relationship with New York (I'm thinking along the line of Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco, etc.). Are there any in this group (or other cities) that have that same "don't give us New York; we want our onw" attitude?>

Chicago Skyline and Aerial Photos

This is a blatant copy of the New York thread, but post your favorite large photos of Chicago; aerials, skyline shots, panoramas, etc. I'll start with a few: >

Ben-Gurion Way?

I can't help but notice that on many modern mapping sites, N. Franklin is labelled as "Ben-Gurion Way". Is this a true name change, or simply another honorific like the other ones in the Loop (brown street signs)? This one must be special, because I've never seen any of the other honorifics supersede the original name in maps (except MLK Drive, but that was a complete name change). As an aside - I'm not anti-Semitic or anything even close - but doesn't the conflict over Zionism make David Ben-Gurion a bad choice to name a street after? I wonder what the Palestinian Chicagoans think of it.>

Chicago: Last Bastion of the Vertical Dream

I was reading an article posted in the French forum. It talked about how many hi-rise architects now prefer to articulate their buildings by making them very distinct as opposed to tall. Beijing's planned CCTV building was cited as an example. This got me thinking. New yok has has a recent spurt, but while many are interesting, and unique designs, they aren't that tall. Goldman Sachs is going to build 2Msqft, $1.28 billion tower in lower Manhattan, but it's only going to be 800ft! Two prudential is smaller and was less expensive than that. The floorplates of the Sachs building will exceed the lower sections of the Sears Tower in area. Bank of America is building its tower at Bryant Park, they claim it will be a 1,000ft+, but we all know better. Again, the floorplates are huge, so this giant 1Msqft+ building will only have 57-stories, and chunky, though unique and pointy, profile. Is this what passes for great hi-rise architecture? What happened to the slender visions of long ago? I will not even mention what has unfolded at the World Trade Center site. Hong Kong, once the city where anything could be built now has a height restriction. Just a few years ago they were contemplating any number of potential WTB's. However, once Union Square is built out, there is nothing big left on the horizon. The New York of the orient has just up and quit before it even really started. Just 20 years of building supertalls, and their exlaimation point is only 1,500ft. What kind of end is this? Of course other cities are building tall buildings. Dubai and Shanghai are bulding them by the dozen, but each building is too unique, too different. They lack the organic look of the Big Three. They seem artificial. Dubai and Shanghai look like Las Vegas on horse steriods. Once financing runs out (and it will run out quicker than they think) what will happen? Will they remain sterile billion dollar tourist traps, or will they gain the character that is earned through hard times as well as good? Which brings me to Chicago. We're also going through a spurt, no made one made of an orgy of oil money and government funding, but of private development. We still are building true skyscrapers. Not giant pieces of abstract art, or stumps that claim to be what they are not. No, what I mean by skyscraper are buildings that are rooted in the ground, and history, and our lives, and at the same time, reach for the sky. We do not limit them with restrictions. We aren't building pointy shards of glass and steel that have no context, no roots. We are not building 60-story office towers and calling them them giants. We are not building windmills. True our growth is more measured, more logical today. No one's proposing 4.5Msqft of offices in one building, but with the limited budget, we are building greatness. Nowhere else can you find the height and economic sense combined as well as Waterview. Nowhere can you find a better postmodern piece of glass than Trump Tower. We are building for a new century, but we are not spoiling the masterpieces of the past, or ruining the real estate market with projects far too massive. We are leaving the future open for more great work. And no one is trying to stop us. No one is complaining about shadows, no one complains about ruining the view of the surrounding landscape. No one is making artificial limits on high we can reach. We are building tall. We are still expressing that once great dream of reaching for the sky. We have not not corrupted that vision, we have not lost it, we still cherish it. We are the last bastion of the vertical dream. Or have I been asleep?>

Worst/Most dangerous Neighboorhoods in Chicago

I just wanted to start a discussion on some of the most terrifying neighboorhoods/hoods in chi-town... Obviously with the recent murders in the englewood area that would have to be up there, but In terms of more visible areas I'd have to go with the Michigan Ave/63rd area where mich ave starts from the south side, one of the darkest, gloomiest, and most dangerous areas in chicago it seems, (esp if you go around prarie/indiana neighboorhoods), along with the far south side near the indiana border. As a small town boy that has lived here for less then a decade, I enjoy driving all around chicago even exploring some of the ghetto south/west sides, I'd appreciate any feedback in terms of this discussion because I find it interesting.>

questions about relocating to chicago

hey um, I'm not even so sure how to start this post off, but lately i've been thinking of relocating from new york...the places I had on my mind where miami, atlanta or raleigh/durham, but I've been giving chicago alot of thought. New york has always had alot to offer, but i've been here my whole life and I feel I need to be somewhere else for awhile. i'm close to getting my teaching certification, but i'm unsure if I'll start my masters out here, or somehwere else...and i'm just curious to hear from some people who have relocated to chicago>

Should we be worried about United's HQ move?

I would like to discuss this in a separate thread, because if United actually leaves the Chicago area it would be devastating to the local economy/clout, etc. United has contacted officials in Denver and San Francisco about possible HQ locations and is actually looking at properties in their respective cities, so without a doubt this is more than just a simple ploy to milk a deal out of Chicago & Illinois. But losing United would be a tremendous loss, in my mind. How likely do you guys think it is that United will stay in Chicago and move downtown vs. moving somewhere else? Chicago has a lot working towards its advantage--a city/state that is capable of making GREAT deals to retain headquarters; the location of United's biggest hub; most United executives are firmly rooted in the area; a recent letter by Sen. Dick Durbin to Glenn Tilton urging him to stay (reminding him how he went to bat for him during the bankrupcy) and so on. However, San Fran is the hub of United's expanding Asia operations, plus Glen Tilton is from the Bay Area. Any thoughts?>

Oberweis running for Governor. Bye-bye Chicago?

Sure, even though Blagojevich failed to represent (since he is supposedly a Chicago democrat), I think I'd still rather have 4 more years of him than this clown. Perhaps Oberweis would bring business to the area, but he'd likely bring it all to the goddamn suburbs, where his own company is located. Not to mention that he probably doesn't give 2 shits about transit: Oberweis says he's running for governor By Don Babwin The Associated Press Published April 14, 2005, 3:32 PM CDT Conservative businessman James Oberweis, who twice lost Republican primaries for the U.S. Senate, announced Thursday he is running for governor. Speaking in downtown Chicago, Oberweis -- the owner of an Aurora dairy -- said he would work to make the state much more pro-business than it is today to attract companies and jobs. He said the economy could improve and jobs be created by reducing taxes for both families and businesses. He drew a sharp contrast between his ideas for attracting companies and workers to the state and those of Gov. Rod Blagojevich, whom he said ``looks at business as though it is a cow to be milked for more and more taxes.'' During last year's Senate race, Republican leaders passed over Oberweis, 58, when Republican nominee Jack Ryan dropped out amid a sex scandal. Instead, they imported conservative commentator Alan Keyes from Maryland, who lost in a landslide to Democrat Barack Obama. "The state central committee, when given the opportunity, did not follow the wishes of the voters,'' said Oberweis, referencing that he came in second in the primary to Ryan. Oberweis is the first Republican to officially declare his candidacy. Others have indicated they are considering a run, including State Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka, who said last month she is talking to state and national Republican leaders, raising money and polling voters in preparation for a possible candidacy. Oberweis offered something of an apology for a widely criticized television commercial that ran during his last Senate campaign in which he talked about immigrants taking American jobs. "I think the commercial was too harsh and didn't communicate our position well,'' he said of the spot in which he was seen in a helicopter flying over Soldier Field, saying enough illegal immigrants were arriving in the country to fill the stadium every week. "Many people took the commercial to understand ... that I am somehow opposed to immigration,'' he said. "I'm not. I'm opposed to illegal immigration.'' He said he has spent the last year talking to people, including Hispanic leaders, to clarify his position. Oberweis is a millionaire who in addition to being chairman of the family dairy, founded a number of financial services companies. He spent $3.01 million of his own money in his losing bid in the Senate primary. He said he would again be spending his own money on the gubernatorial campaign, but declined to estimate how much. Besides Topinka, other Republicans who have said they are considering running for governor are DuPage County State's Atty. Joe Birkett, state Sen. Bill Brady, former State Board of Education chairman Ron Gidwitz and U.S. Rep. Ray LaHood of Peoria. State Sen. Sen. Steve Rauschenberger of Elgin is another potential candidate. Oberweis indicated he was most concerned about Topinka. "If there are three or four conservative males and one liberal female, that gives some advantage to the liberal female,'' he said.>

Was Chicago Where Hill Steet Blues was Filmed

I was just flicking through the satelite tv and I came across an Old Episode of Hill Street Blues, and I was wondering which city it was set in. The police cars, uniforms and some of the scenes look like Chicago. Does any one know more about this and which locations were used >

museum idea: give me feedback

I have an idea for a Chicago museum and wonder what you guys think: New York has its Ellis Island Museum. How very appropriate. New York was the gateway to America (Ellis Island in particular), so what better place to document that immigrant experience. New York took on this role as the major east coast city, looking outward to the Atlantic. No US city has served as long as New York as where America looks out to the world. Chicago, on the other hand, is the definitive American city. Of all our great cities (except for DC), it alone was more a product of a growing US than of European ambitions. So why not honor our role as the most American of American cities (as NY honors it as the entrance point of immigration and St. Louis uses an arch to commemorate the gateway to the west) with a truly American institution: THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF CHICAGO This museum would have wings dedicated to all aspects of US life: history, culture, government, topography/geography, peoples, patriotism, contributions to the world, and other such topics. So many of Chicago's great museums are located along or near the lakefront. Spectacular those this setting is, it has caused a building overload in a place that should be kept green and open. Therefore, I would place my museum (suggestion, that is) on the RIVERFRONT, not the lakefront (perhaps somewhere south of the Loop). It would provide just the type of spark the riverfront needs to accelerate its transformation into one of the world's great waterfronts. Is there some duplication here with some of the museums in the Smithsonian? Sure, but Chicago's museum would be unique in its mission to present "all things Americana". And besides, nobody talked about duplication when Baltimore added its magnificent aquarium to a national scene of many aquariums. It became a huge tourist attraction and didn't prevent Atlanta from upping the ante with its brand new aquarium. I really believe The American Museum of Chicago could be a real winner!>

If Chicago == NY, then who are Milwaukee, and Indy

Ok this thread is on a silly topic but I wonder what you guys think of this fanciful comparison. Chicago is obviously the dominant player in the Midwest by far, to our north about 90 miles is our smaller brother Milwaukee, and to our south (180 miles or so) our fair sister Indy. Now NY is the unquestioned 800-lb gorilla of the east coast, 200 miles to its north is its bratty brother boston, some 90 miles to its south is the fairest red-headed step child of major metros philly. In relation to Chicago what role do Milwaukee and Indy play ....who is Boston , who is Indy Come on try it just for shits and giggles>

The ultimate Chicago poll

I can't believe this hasn't been done yet. What is the best pizza in Chicago>