New Zoning Ordinance--Today

Chicago's new Zoning Ordinance, replacing the one created in 1953, takes effect today. This is huge, but there are no articles I could find in the news about it. What's the deal with that? Either way--a whole new era of development guidelines to shape the future of the cityscape has come.>

Chicago's parking garages--the next' generation's lofts?

The world will ultimately face a huge energy crisis as oil and natural gas supplies dwindle (we are at the halfway point of our world endowment of fossil fuels this year, according to the US Dept of Energy), and the 2nd half of these fuels will be much harder to extract than the first half (also considering that developing nations are consuming greater amounts of fossil fuels). That, and the unlikely prospects that alternative fuel sources will ever supply energy to the level that sustains our wasteful existence the way oil and gas does, leaves us with a dilemma. It's scary at many levels, but one of the first things to be stripped from the middle classes will be a luxury called driving. So world-wide chaos aside, I have a theory about what will happen in Chicago's future architecturally. Look at the recent loft-conversion boom in Chicago and other older cities. What's the appeal of loft construction? Well, they're old, they were once used for something completely different (related to a different "time" in Chicago), they have high ceilings, large amounts of space, they're sturdy, and often have exposed ductwork, etc. Sound familiar? I see the same thing happening to parking garages in Chicago's future. As they empty out (fewer and fewer people will own cars), certain people will have the brilliant idea of converting them into residential or office space, analagous to the current industrial-turn-residential craze currently hitting Chicago's market. First artists will move in, attracted to the large spaces, high ceilings, and somewhat hard-edged feel of a former garage. And surely, just like now, they will be outpriced and replaced by yuppies (or the next generation's version of them). I see this happening in the bases of a lot of recently constructed highrises, as well as stand alone garages. Perhaps, then, it is a good idea that many of the garage-bases in highrises being constructed today are nicely decorated and being given windows--to (unknowingly--except to me )suit them for their future use. The Bernardin or the Grand Orleans serve as great examples. Many other garages are more "dumb box" looking with windowless walls. Those are great opportunities for creativity--I envision huge, horizontal shaped rows of windows being carved/drilled into these old structures to bring outdoor exposure and sunlight into their new uses. I believe they will be in INCREDIBLE demand for their uniqueness and features (described above) that parallel what makes industrial loft-living so popular right now. What do you guys think?>

CTA transit fare strike.

i don't know how effective this would be can't think that it would be but theres more on it here: http://www.midwestunrest.net/farestrike/ RIDERS DON'T PAY! WORKERS DON'T COLLECT! The CTA has slated January 2nd 2005 as Doomsday. This is the day services are to be cut by 20%, 1250 jobs are to be terminated and paratransit fares will be increased by 100%. While CTA officials claim the only solution would be extra money from the state, we have been holding CTA president Frank Kruesi and his board responsible. It is the CTA who has known this crisis was coming and has made the decision to dump it on the backs of workers and riders. They are the ones who ignored it as they built their new $119 million Lake Street office. It is also Kruesi and his buddy mayor Daley who are still talking about spending almost 2 billion dollars on a new Circle line, just so rich folks can get from their neighborhoods to the airport a little bit quicker. If there is money for such luxury, there is no excuse for cutting our service, terminating our jobs and raising our fares! In response, Midwest Unrest has called for a fare strike starting December 15th. If no final decision to scrap these cuts, job terminations and fare increases has been announced by then, we are calling on all CTA riders to ride their routes like they do everyday but without paying. The CTA depends on us paying and collecting fares. This is where our power to pressure them lies. This tactic has been successful before, in San Francisco, Italy, France and elsewhere. In Chicago, there is widespread support for a fare strike among bus operators, many of whom have already received pink slips. They've said time and again, "It's not our job to collect the fares." So starting December 15th, politely state that you are on fare strike when you board your buses and take your seat without paying. Until then start spreading the word. Talk to your bus operators and other riders. Download flyers from our website and pass them out. Together we can make this a success! WHAT'S UP? The Chicago Transit Authority is planning a drastic attack on poor and working people all over the city. This will include: 20% overall service cuts 30 bus routes being completely eliminated, hundreds of others coming less often, having shorter routes, having night or weekend service eliminated (complete list) 11% cut in operating hours of the Â"LÂ" 1000 job losses, most of which are firings, not layoffs doubling the fee for paratransit vans for disabled riders increasing the fee for student passes by $.10 a day WHY IS THIS HAPPENING? Frank Kreusi and the CTA board say that they have a budget crisis, that they are $70-some million dollars short. They say they need more money from Springfield—and with their public hearings and add campaigns they are trying to direct all our anger into lobbying our representatives. We donÂ't buy it. In 1999, they got money from the state to restore the 1997 service cuts, but the service cuts were never restored. They just built a new office at 567 W. Lake St. that cost about $119 million. They have already started work on the new Circle Line to connect the suburbs, which will cost as much as $2 billion. The CTA board recently voted to increase their own pensions. They are planning new express Â"LÂ" trains that will run every 15 minutes between downtown and OÂ'Hare airport, so yuppie tourists donÂ't have to mix with the local riff-raff. They always have enough money for security cameras and GPS clever boxes to spy on the driversÂ… not to mention grafitti clean-up. So the problem is not only that the CTA has a budget crisis, but that they have chosen to dump their crisis off on us—the people who depend most on public transit and who can least afford to pay more. WHAT CAN WE DO? The point is not to offer up different management strategies for the CTA. Lots of community groups have done this, and they have been ignored. The CTA listens to big business, not riders and drivers. The only way they will respond to our needs, is if we can put real pressure on them—if we can disrupt business as usual. We have the power to do this. Half of CTAÂ's budget comes from fares. They depend on us as riders to pay fares, and as workers to collect fares. When riders refuse to pay, and workers refuse to collect, that will really hit them where it hurts. We can get where we need to go, have a free ride, and put pressure on them at the same time. If this happened on a large scale, they would move very quickly to restore services, reverse job losses and stop the fare hikes. PEOPLE WOULD NEVER DO THAT Not true. Fare evasion happens every day. ItÂ's such a big problem for transit bureaucrats that transit authorities in almost every major city in the world have issued long reports condemning it. Whenever they introduce new technology into ticket-taking it is explained as a way to cut down on fare evasion. Even though they try to make consequences for fare evasion, riders continue to do it all the time. It just needs to be pushed farther. Organized fare strikes are a common tactic: In Italy in 1974, fare strikes were widespread, and were successful in stopping fare increases all over the country. In some cities in France, organized fare evasion became so common, that it was more expensive to pay for police to watch all the metros and busses than to just make the transport free, which is what happened in a number of cities. In San Francisco in 1993 a fare evasion campaign helped increase the pressure on the city to bring back transfers, which they did. In Dublin a fare-free day was called in the summer of 2003 by bus-drivers unions as part of the ongoing fight against the privatization of the cityÂ's bus system. There are ongoing and successful fare evasion campaigns in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Helsinki. The Bus Riders Union in Vancouver has called for a fare strike in early 2005 if a proposed fare increase goes ahead.>

U of C, NU, and architecture

How do you compare the campuses of Chicago and Northwestern? Does the U of C far surpass NU because of its exquisite gothic architecture, unified and planned? Does the Midway make a showcase for the school's setting that NU cannot match? Does NU gain points for an eclectic mix of buildings or is this a negative? How about its lakefront setting, does that give NU an advantage over the U of C and the vast majority of schools? Does the U of C score on how it is weaved into the Hyde Park neighborhood and the intellectual area that it presents. How about NU? Is the more collegiate Big Ten atmosphere a plus the U of C doesn't have? How about Evanston's cool downtown; Chicago doesn't have this amenity the way that Northwestern does. Does it count?>

Indian Architecture in Chicago

Hi All! Chicago is well known for its skyscrapers, but there's other interesting architecture too. These two pictures are of a Hindu Temple complex in a Chicago suburb. So those Chicago-ites who are interested in Indian art and architecture, can begin their journey right in their own backyard. >

Chicago in Black and White: Remix

Here's the thread I posted in the midwestern forum. I was asked to stick it in the Chicago one, so here you go. Here's some photos I took on my last trip to Chicago. It was last year sometime when Millenium Park was almost complete. Chicago is one of my favorite places to take Black and White Photography, it seems like I always find a new angle or shot, even when I'm walking down a street I have walked down 100 times before. Outside the Art Gallery Boats passing under the Michigan Ave. bridge Sculpture in front of the Institute. A man peering out of a window on Rush Street. Favorite Architecture in the city Scaffolding [sp?] Underneath the bridge looking up >

state and Madison

this video realy helps yu understand how busy the intersection of State and Madison realy was. state and madison>

3-Chicago Pics, Last Part

>

Former train right of way?

Ok, so I've been seeing parts of this from the train as a little kid, and recently in my neighborhood tours, but I've never really taken the chance to follow it through till now. Does anybody know what line this was, and where it continued past the industrial corridor. >

U of C: Promotionally hurting?

I have nothing but admiration for the University of Chicago, one of the world's best and best respected universities. I find it more than admirable that the U of C deemphasised sports more than a half century ago and that it has stuck to its guns as clearly stating its image as being education and research. That said, we live (unfortunately) at a time when image counts far more than it should. I have no desire to see the U of C change directions, but I do wonder: is the school's lack of commercial visiblity a hinderance (on any level)? For better or for worse (I'll go with worse), major Division 1A institutions use athletics to promote the academics of their universities. Athletics has been built to keep awareness of their institutions high. This is not only true of the Kansas State's, Alabama's, and Nebraska's out there. U of C peers such as Stanford, Duke, Northwestern, etc., are included. And, among state schools, the likes of Cal, UVA, UNC, Michigan. Even though the Ivy League operates at a lower level of athletics, its existence helps feed into the aura of its 8 member institutions. All these schools also benefit from the tremendous amount of profit and visilibilty gained by commercial/logo products that put their schools' names out there. The U of C keeps a very low profile in this area, too. The question is not whether the U of C should change directions (I'm not suggesting that for a moment). The question is: on some level, is the university hurt in terms of awareness due to the low athletic profile it maintains (so this is not a couda, wouda, shouda question).>

famous chicago businesses only to chicagoans

i was driving around chicago the other day just for the sake of roaming the city(like i so frequently do) i noticed that chicago has many of the very succesfull mom and pop type of shops/businesses . the kind that expanded into 2-3 other store fronts or opened only a few more locations. the kind of businesses that have been around for a long time and established their name in chicago as part of chicago culture (to chiagoans at least).business that have in some ways been considered landmarks. places like; -Jade Dragon Tatto -Fantasy headquarters Costumes - Waveland bowling -Admiral Theater -The Alley -Harlem Furniture so what other places can you think of??>

What is the greatest decade in Chicago history?

I think the 1890's was the greatest decade. It was the height of Chicago's position as the economic gateway of the west and 1893 was when Chicago hosted the legendary World Columbian Exhibition. What do you all think?>

Don't Miss this Chicago Photo Thread.

See it here: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=213663>

(Chicago) Setting the example for a 'greener' New York

Setting the example for a 'greener' New York http://www.newsday.com/news/opinion/...ints-headlines BY MAJORA CARTER Majora Carter is the environmental justice fellow at the Drum Major Institute and executive director of Sustainable South Bronx. April 12, 2005 Chicago may be called the "Second City," but it is first in at least one very important way: mayoral commitment to creating a "green" city that is good to its environment, its businesses and its people. Compare it to New York. I am from the South Bronx, a low-income Latino and African-American neighborhood that has been forced by city and state regulatory agencies to accommodate a disproportionate amount of New York City's regional infrastructure. Our neighbors are waste and sewage facilities. We suffer 55,000 diesel trucks per week, hauling most of the greater metropolitan area's food, as well as waste of all sorts, into the borough and out. The threat of a new power plant, capable of generating far more megawatts than the Bronx is ever projected to need - with polluting emissions to match - looms on our horizon. And this profile is not exclusive to the South Bronx. Other low-income communities suffer similar burdens. Southeast Queens and Williamsburg-Greenpoint in Brooklyn join the South Bronx in handling almost 80 percent of the city's solid waste. Brooklyn's Sunset Park, along with Williamsburg-Greenpoint, hosts a plethora of power plants and diesel truck traffic. The health of low-income communities of color is directly related to the quality of our environment. Columbia University's recent study concluding that prenatal exposure to urban air pollutants causes genetic alterations is only the latest in a series demonstrating the urgency for a solution to this uniquely urban problem. Chicago's Mayor Richard Daley has taken the lead in passing policy to improve the short- and long-term health of his city, and our Mayor Michael Bloomberg should learn by his example. Chicago established new laws requiring recycling of waste at construction sites to divert up to 50 percent of waste from landfills and created meaningful tax incentives that encourage developers to build green from the very beginning. Its new municipal buildings must incorporate a new set of construction standards that will help provide healthier indoor environments, reduce operating costs and conserve energy and resources. Chicago passed an alternative green building code that expedites the permitting process so that developers can build more quickly. And it has created a multifaceted, multimedia public education campaign to let homeowners and business owners know about these new opportunities. Behind environmental innovation, there must be policy innovation; and behind policy innovation there must be a strong mayor. Mayor Daley ensured that the dream of a greener Chicago became a reality because he charged his administration to come up with policies that actually have teeth. New York City needs the kind of leadership that will stand up to the false claim that sustainable development cannot be done economically. The idea that environmental activists and business leaders have competing interests is outdated. Daley has shown business and political leaders that their interests are best represented by long-term energy policies that strengthen the communities upon which their entire region depends. Chicago has shown that the debate isn't theoretical. Whether or not one believes that global warming is a serious threat or that new landfill sites and fossil fuels sources always will be available, those of us in communities like the South Bronx, southeast Queens and Greenpoint have to deal with these issues now. That's why grass-roots activists have taken into our own hands the modeling of environmentally sound policy. We are advocating for green and cool roofs on top of our buildings; alternative transportation systems, such as greenways, that promote healthy lifestyles without polluting the air; and recycling industrial parks, in which one business' waste is another's raw material. These projects would save energy - reducing the need for more and bigger power plants - and prevent pollution and reduce waste. Last month, Bloomberg visited Hunts Point to release his "Vision Plan," an initiative to promote a competitive business environment and sustainable community in my area. Now he must lead the way in taking his plan from the page and bringing it to life, as well as implement improvements for other overburdened neighborhoods. If Bloomberg isn't able to learn from community activists or from his colleague in Chicago, New York will soon find itself labeled a "Second City" when it comes to caring for the environment and its citizens.>

New Retail center planned for old Fannie May site

West Loop retail planned for Fannie May site November 5, 2004 BY DAVID ROEDER Business Reporter Advertisement Its empty floors still fragrant from chocolate and honey, the former Fannie May candy factory on the Near West Side has new owners who hope to detect in the location the sweet smell of real estate success. A development team has acquired the property at 1137 W. Jackson and has started marketing it as a multilevel retail building, with movie theaters as a possible addition. The 500,000-square-foot factory, closed last January as part of Fannie May's bankruptcy, would be demolished. The site also could include a mid-rise condominium building. But the owners' more immediate concern is to secure interest from retailers, including a large-scale anchor such as an office supply chain. If approved, the site could fill what many analysts regard as a yawning need for retail on the Near West Side. The neighborhood in the last decade has come alive with condos and loft conversions, but few businesses have followed the available dollars. "We think it's a good time to try this,'' said J. Michael Drew, a principal of Structured Development. Structured owns the site with retail development specialist IBT Group LLC and Marc Realty, an owner and manager of office buildings. "The West Loop neighborhood has gotten established much faster than the South Loop, which took years,'' Drew said. "We think there's a critical mass in the neighborhood that can support a project like this.'' Gary Pachucki, principal of IBT Group, said the characteristics of the site allow for ambitious goals. Being adjacent to the Eisenhower Expy. and to the 25,000 students at the University of Illinois at Chicago, the stores should tap a market greater than that of nearby residents, Pachucki said. "We have visibility and accessibility off I-290. It could draw people from as far away as Oak Park,'' he said. Drew and Pachucki emphasized that their plans are in the early stages and could be revised. The owners closed on the property in August, paying $12.2 million to Fannie May's bankruptcy trustee. The brand itself was sold for $38.9 million to Alpine Confections, now manufacturing such Chicago favorites as Pixies and Mint Meltaways in Ohio and Utah. Property records show the partners obtained a $12.37 million mortgage from National City Bank. Loans for more than the purchase price are common when a borrower expects substantial redevelopment expenses. Drew said the partnership has "put a substantial amount'' of equity into the deal and is under no financial pressure to quickly sign leases. The city would have to change the site's industrial zoning to a planned development classification. Pachucki said he hopes to submit the zoning application in a couple of months and start the demolition next year. He said the project could be delivered in early 2007. The developers said preliminary support came from the area's alderman, Madeline Haithcock of the 2nd Ward. Haithcock could not be reached Thursday. Eric Sedler, president of the West Loop Community Organization, said it hasn't seen the plans but likes the talk of more retail. "We're excited about any project that would bring serious, first-class retail to the neighborhood,'' he said. Plans call for the larger stores to have frontage on Van Buren Street, which is closest to the expressway. Smaller businesses such as florists or coffee shops would be grouped along Jackson. Retail broker Michael Bell, president of Pentad Realty, said the project should meet the neighborhood needs, but the developers must be careful about the design. He said that if some stores are above the first floor, they'll need a 10- to 12-screen theater to draw people inside the building. But relying on movie theaters also is risky. If the theaters fail, perhaps because Hollywood issues too many duds, they are hard to lease to another user. The building would have parking on levels above the stores. The nearly four-acre parcel includes a closed Fannie May retail shop at the southwest corner of Jackson and Aberdeen. Drew said Alpine has voiced interest in having a Fannie May store in the new building. IBT has been involved in building various types of shopping plazas and has ties to such chains as Old Navy, Home Depot and Jewel-Osco. Drew and business partner Daniel Lukas have completed several projects in the city and, with Marc Realty, redeveloped the former MarchFirst Inc. corporate headquarters at Fulton and Ada.>

TV Land and Chicago's Museum of Broadcast Communications

TV Land and Chicago's Museum of Broadcast Communications Join Forces to Celebrate Comedy Tuesday May 17, 12:19 pm ET CHICAGO, May 17 /PRNewswire/ -- TV Land will step into the Comedy spotlight at the new $22-million Museum of Broadcast Communications (MBC), now being developed in Chicago. The 10-year partnership includes an undisclosed monetary donation as well as a major promotional commitment from the network that underscores TV Land's commitment to the preservation of television and radio comedy. The donation to the non-profit radio and television museum will support the development of a highly interactive comedy exhibit, detailing the history of comedy on both radio and television. It will include a wide variety of classic and contemporary highlight clips from the genre's most memorable shows. The exhibit will also include original TV Land content that celebrates the pioneers of TV comedy as well as touch-screen kiosks that test a visitor's TV knowledge. Additionally, the exhibit will include excerpts from the critically acclaimed MBC Encyclopedia of Television and the MBC Encyclopedia of Radio. The 70,000-square-foot facility, scheduled to open in downtown Chicago in July of 2006, will feature nine genre focused exhibits on the evolution of American radio and television. In addition to Comedy, exhibits are being planned about Drama, Music, News, Talk, Sports, Game shows, Children's shows and Commercials. Other exhibits will introduce visitors to the pioneers who created the radio and television industry, the business side and promotional side of broadcasting and an exhibit introducing guests to a wide variety of career opportunities in the industry. A working radio and television studio will offer visitors with a take-away hands-on experience on the air. "TV Land is proud to support The Museum of Broadcast Communications and its efforts to preserve one of the most popular and enduring facets of entertainment: Comedy," explains Larry W. Jones, President, TV Land and Nick at Nite. "The commitment and spirit to the preservation of all facets of television and radio communications is an important undertaking and the MBC's vision and dedication is shared by everyone at TV Land. We eagerly anticipate the opening of this important and highly entertaining Museum, which will only add to Chicago's already vibrant cultural scene." "Comedy was the foundation of both radio and television programming and TV Land is synonymous with classic comedy," said Bruce DuMont, MBC Founder and President in announcing the major donation. "I know Larry Jones and his TV Land executive team have a love affair with comedy, and with their help, by using sounds and pictures, rare artifacts and dynamic retrospectives, we will create a remarkable museum experience," DuMont added. TV Land and the MBC will also create a series of public programs featuring comedy pioneers. Comedy artifacts in the exhibit will include original Edgar Bergen puppets Charlie McCarthy, Mortimer Snerd and Effie Klinker, a replica of Fibber McGee's famous closet and scripts from the long running radio classic, an I Dream of Jeannie bottle and the original Ernie Kovacs' Nairobi Trio masks. Cincinnati's Jack Rouse Associates, one of America's leading museum design firms, is creating the museum experience along with Steve Ryan of ShoConcepts of Hollywood, California. The new Museum of Broadcast Communications is projecting first year attendance in excess of 240,000 visitors in its new tourist-friendly home. The new museum will be located one block from the new Trump Tower Chicago and directly adjacent to two popular Chicago tourist attractions -- the famed House of Blues and Harry Caray's restaurant. The TV Land donation follows a recent $1-million donation from Paul and Angel Harvey, a $500,000 donation from DisneyHand, worldwide outreach of The Walt Disney Company, and $250,000 grants from The Oprah Winfrey Foundation, Lee Phillip Bell of The Young and the Restless and Chicago's Polk Bros. Foundation. TV Land and all related logos and titles are trademarks of Viacom International, Inc. Now seen in over 82 million U.S. homes, TV Land's program mix features popular dramas, sitcoms, westerns, Retromercials and a TV-referential interstitial environment, all programmed with a specific audience in mind -- the first generation of Americans to grow up watching television and features all time classic hits like All in the Family, I Love Lucy, The Andy Griffith Show, Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie. The Museum of Broadcast Communications is one of only three broadcast museums in the United States. The new MBC will be the first public museum in the nation to achieve the Gold rating of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) criteria. For more information, please visit http://www.Museum.TV . 400 North State Street View from Kinzie Street Centrally located in ChicagoÂ's River North neighborhood and close to all forms of transportation, the new MBC will be publicly accessible. View from State Street The new MBC will have a main entrance on State Street. a dramatic two story atrium will welcome guests at the ground floor entry. Architectural Model: INTERIOR IMAGES: Providing high-speed access and delivery of the MuseumÂ's radio-television holdings, the Media Café will merge the concept of video-on-demand with light food and beverage service. Seated in a comfortable recliner or in the contemporary HDTV viewing area, visitors will surf the massive MBC media database and instantly see their favorite shows or explore the WiFi environment. Friends, comfort food, and a great cup of coffee will be close by. The A.C. Nielsen, Jr. Research Center will provide a place for scholars to study. Comedy Exhibit Following a video presentation in the Introductory Theater, visitors will explore radio and televisionÂ's influence through interactive genre exhibits. Located on the second floor will be an area dedicated to Comedy, the genre that was the foundation for the TV networksÂ' original prime time schedules. Using sound, text, rare artifacts, photos, and dynamic retrospectives, this exhibit will explore many early radio comedies and their stars who migrated to television during its infancy. Comedy will be one of eight interactive genre exhibits. The MBC will feature exhibits on Drama, Music, News, Talk, Sports, Game Shows, and ChildrenÂ's Programming. TV Land will support the development of the Comedy exhibit. Radio Hall of Fame Rotunda The Radio Hall of Fame recognizes and showcases the pioneers who shaped radio during its infancy, as well as contemporary talent from todayÂ's diverse programming formats. The Radio Hall of Fame includes executives, writers, producers, directors, and on-air personalities of all types, ranging from disc jockeys to musicians to sportscasters and newscasters. Guests can see into and through the Radio Hall of Fame Rotunda from anywhere on the second floor. Here, the story will be told through an edited collection of archival recordings and anecdotes from the pioneers and personalities of AmericaÂ's only Radio Hall of Fame. Graphics, archival photographs, unique artifacts, and sound bytes will be offset by media presentations. Framed pictures and windows will become Â"magic portalsÂ" containing stories about how radio both reflected and shaped a nation. Angel Harvey Center Located on the fourth floor, the Angel Harvey Center will serve as the primary venue for the MuseumÂ's public programs, media seminars, screenings, and conferences. The versatile center can accommodate a variety of public and private uses. The 12,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art center, which seats 500 theater-style and 400 for sit-down dining, will be fully wired for presentations and connected to the main television control room. A garden terrace overlooking State Street and the new Trump Tower will add a unique outdoor flavor to the programs and events in the Angel Harvey Center. >

Chicago: Thank You, Midwest!

j;

North Side vs. South Side

Looking at this forum everyday as well as skyscraperpage I never seem to see much about the south side of chicago. All the photo tours are of the north side. I walked from the museum of science and industy to downtown last summer and it dident seem that bad. It was clean, there were nice parks along the lake front and many tree lined streets. It also seems that the south side gets alot of bad press as well, just turn on WGN for the nightly news. Its eaither a shooting or an apartment fire. Tell me these things don't happan on the north side as well. I am requesting an indepth tour of the south side, I hear there is much new construction in the area, will it ever be high rises along the souther lake front? How about the proposed grey line, is that going to happan in the near future, it seems like the best proposal out there. After high school I plan to move to Chicago and I want the views of people who live their. I don't want to live in a really expensive area eaither. Thier just has to be a couple of things in the area. Transit, a park and a basketball court. I have been to both areas and I would have to say that the north side is more viabrant but what do you think the south side will be like in 10 years? So chicago people tell me what you think. North Side or South Side??>

Did Chicago really lose population?

So I just got finished replying to Qwerty's little sellout peacemaking crap on the LA forum, and something came to mind: Chicago has gone from about 3.6 million people in 1950 to roughly 2.9 million now. Sure, it's a population loss. But I propose that Chicago's tax base has actually increased, and the city actually has more money to work with than it used to. Think about it--in 1950, most of Chicago consisted of reasonably large families, with wives who mostly didn't work and had lots of children. Wives and children had no income and thus paid no taxes. Now, at 2.9 million, a very large proportion of these people are tax-paying adults. Come to think of it, one could really argue that Chicago's tax base actually increased, right? Whaddya guys think? (Note to Qwerty--just joking, BTW. You're one of my favorite forumers, but I had to hate on you for selling out back there--dawg, you can't be sayin that shit in front of peop's like Vice City and Silverlake! )>

Fire rages in Chicago high-rise

Fire rages in Chicago high-rise Rescuers searching for people trapped by blaze Monday, December 6, 2004 Posted: 11:03 PM EST (0403 GMT) Fire burns on the 29th floor of a 43-story building in Chicago's financial district Monday. CHICAGO, Illinois (CNN) -- A five-alarm fire raged in a 45-story building in Chicago's downtown Loop district Monday night, trapping people inside and prompting firefighters to launch a massive fire-and-rescue operation. Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford said 18 people were taken to area hospitals, including two firefighters who were seriously injured. There were no immediate reports of deaths. "The fire continues to burn. We are continuing search-and-rescue operations, going through the building right now," Langford told reporters in a late-night briefing. He said crews were first sent to floors from which they had received 911 calls, he said. Authorities said the fire started around 6:30 p.m. (7:30 p.m. ET) on the 29th floor of the LaSalle National Bank building. The cause of the blaze was not known Monday night. Jim Rubens, who was working on the 36th floor, said fire crews reached his group and told them to exit down a stairwell in the smoke-filled building. "All the floors are filled with smoke," Rubens told local reporters, his face and mustache smeared with soot. "The smoke was coming in from the vents." He said he went down the stairwell with 12 people, with everyone trying to stay as low as possible covering their mouths: "At one point, it was almost impossible to breathe, and they just kept screaming, 'Keep going, keep going.' And everybody kept going." He said some of his friends remained on the 35th floor. The fire appeared to be contained to the 29th floor of the largely concrete structure, spreading horizontally across that floor but not to the floors above or below it. Video from the scene showed bright orange flames raging through at least 11 windows, which were blown out and belching smoke. Bank employee Paul Sawyer said workers on the lower floors were told to leave about 10 minutes after the first alarms went off. Tom Lia of the city's fire sprinkler advisory board told CNN affiliate WLS that the building was not outfitted with fire sprinklers. The building is equipped with a pump system to allow firefighters to get enough water to upper floors to fight fires, he said. Dozens of police, fire and other emergency crews were at the scene, cordoning off the streets around the building. Some emergency personnel could be seen checking rooms in the lower floors for people who might still be inside. The 45-story art deco building was completed in 1934, and houses bank and law offices. It was built on the site of one of the world's first skyscrapers, the Home Insurance Building, which was destroyed so the LaSalle building could be built. The fire comes a little more than a year after a blaze on the 12th floor of the Cook County administration building, which killed six people who had been trapped in a stairwell. An independent report found numerous problems contributed to the deaths, including a lack of automatic sprinklers and ineffective search-and-rescue operations by Chicago firefighters. City officials put several measures in place after that fire, including setting up a rapid-ascent team to deal with high-rise blazes.>

Moving to Chicago & I Need Your Help In Selecting A Neighborhood

Well if all goes well I plan to move to Chicago by Mid-June. Currently my condo is in escrow, and hopefully it will close in a two weeks with you problems. Now I have been looking at different condos around Chicago, but I'm not sure of many of the neighborhoods. I lived in Chicago back in 1990, but I don't have a clue what many of the areas I've looked in are like. This is where I need your help. My plan right now is go hopefully go back to school, and I want to only work part time(I hope). With the profit I'll make from this crazy market in LA, I can't afford to put it back into another place, not even a smaller 1 bedroom condo. I have a two bedroom now, and don't want to go smaller. Since I going to try and go to school, I need to keep my mortgage low. From the listing I've looked at in Chicago, I'm blowned away at some of the low prices. Now here is the question, what would a neighborhood be like when I see a 2 bedroom 2 bath at $219,000, or a 2 bed 1 bath in the same building @ $185,000 be like. For instance this was in a area just a few doors down from Humbold Park @ 3231 W HIRSCH Unit: 4R CHICAGO, IL 60647 What is this neighborhood like? It there a main street nearby in walking distance of shopping, dinning, cafes, and coffeehouses, gym, etc.? It is a decent area where you don't have to worry about being rob for the most part? I'm not one who gets scare easy (I grew up in Watts & South Central) but I want a quiet area thats progressing. The only thing I didn't care about was the area isn't serviced by the El. I would like to find something within walking distance of the El. I also noticed that Hyde Park had some very low prices on condos. It is truly that these condos are in the heart of Hyde Park, or do you think they are adverstised as such because they are close by? I've seen some listed as low at $160,000 for three bedrooms. I'm just a little leary that something is wrong, or the inside is thrashed. So I would be truly grateful for your input, and suggestions of neighborhoods to look in thats decent. I will be living with my cousins out in Elgin when I fisrt arrive, but I want to move into my own place as quickly as possible.>

Top 10 locations that need to be served by rapid transit.

1. HYDE PARK! - The most vibrant dense neighborhood not served by rapid transit, and don't say the express bus counts because its a bus. 2. 26th Street/Little Village - Its amazing how isolated this ultra-vibrant community is. It could also serve 3. Navy Pier/Streeterville - The Michigan Avenue area could use one more line cutting through it. 4. Devon St/Little Bombay - If they could find a way to extend the Brown Line North, this would be great. 5. South Shore - If they built a Hyde Park branch, it should naturally traverse this neighborhood also. 6. McCormick Place/South Loop - Its crazy how there's this huge gap between Roosevelt and 35th on the Green Line 7. 79th/Cottage Grove - A vibrant commercial area, probably one of the most vibrant in the South Side. 8. Division St/Humboldt Park - There used to be a line that ran close by this neighborhood. 9. Halsted/35th in Bridgeport - The Orange Line is kind of nearby, but it doesn't do it justice. 10. The 100's - Chicago ends at 130th st and the Red Line only goes to 95th. 11. Milwaukee - Hey, why not! It could stop in Great America also.>

And the march of sprawl to the mississppi continues.......

Home builders have big plans Development of thousands of area homes seen By Sharon Stangenes and John Handley, Tribune staff reporters. The Los Angeles Times contributed to this report Published December 7, 2004 Buoyed by strong sales and looking to keep the local housing boom rolling, Chicago-area builders plan to unleash a new round of suburban mega-developments to lure buyers in 2005. At least seven builders, alone or in partnership, are opening developments of 1,000 or more units in coming months. Several developments are planned for more than 2,000 homes. Some of the national builders operating in the Chicago market said they plan to boost 2005 sales by 20 to 30 percent or more. But the demand for more housing is not just coming from home shoppers. Rather, pressure from investors and analysts on Wall Street is helping to spur the massive developments. Wall Street "expects publicly held builders to show growth," said Robert Meyn, vice president of sales and marketing for Ryland Homes. Meanwhile, the pressures on the publicly traded companies are forcing local privately held builders to keep up. And there are concerns that the trend will create a housing bubble that eventually will burst. Centex Homes will announce four developments with a total of 6,000 homes in the next few months. The builder is planning projects of 2,000 houses apiece for the suburbs of Elwood and Yorkville. Ryland, Lennar and Concord Homes are teaming up to build 2,000 houses near Huntley. Kirk Homes plans developments of 1,000 or more homes in Lakemoor and Woodstock and 800 homes in Elburn. Lakewood Homes has received approval from Plano for the second phase of its Lakewood Springs development, pushing that project to 5,000 homes. Those builders join Cambridge Homes, which recently announced plans for a 2,600-home development in Pingree Grove, west of Elgin. Typical of the pressures facing builders is Cambridge parent D.R. Horton. The company has a pattern of relentless growth. Two years ago, D.R. Horton surpassed Wal-Mart's record of 99 consecutive quarters of earnings growth. It's now up to 108 and counting. Two months ago, it completed its 27th fiscal year of consistently higher profit. Its market value recently stood around $8.5 billion. D.R. Horton, based in a suburb of Ft. Worth, built fewer than 900 homes in 1992, the year it went public. In its just-completed fiscal year, it sold more than 45,000 homes, an industry record. Fears of a housing bubble are rampant in some quarters, although builders see little chance of one occurring here. A price bubble is starting to burst in Orange County, Calif., according to Sung Won Sohn, chief economist at Wells Fargo & Co. in Minneapolis. "Housing prices there are starting to fall. I don't expect that to happen in the Chicago area, but I do worry about a possible spillover effect--a negative psychological impact--that could spread to the Midwest," he said. "A bubble is going to happen elsewhere--not in Chicago--because home prices are so far out of whack in some parts of the country," added Mark Malouf, the chief operating officer of Oak Brook-based Montalbano Homes. Housing consultant Steve Hovany, president of Strategy Planning Associates in Schaumburg, said a bubble occurs in a hot housing market where there is great demand but a limited supply, which forces prices up. "That is happening in Las Vegas, where prices have almost doubled in the last year because there is limited land there," he said. But in the Chicago region, he said, "pricing is rational. Houses are getting more expensive, but people are getting more space and the value is there." Despite the plans for huge projects by major builders, Hovany predicts a decline in home sales in the Chicago area next year. "Several factors--higher interest rates and increased costs in labor and materials--will come home to roost next year," he said. About 31,000 new homes will be built in the Chicago area during 2004, according to estimates by Robert Shield, senior vice president of Draper & Kramer Mortgage Corp. He gave those figures last week during a housing outlook conference in Oak Brook. If those figures hold, the number of units (condos, townhouses and houses) built in the metropolitan area in 2004 will be 11 percent higher than in 2003, when Chicago added 27,550 new homes, Shield said. That places the Chicago area well behind Phoenix, the nation's fastest-growing housing market, where builders plan to create roughly 60,000 new homes this year. "There are a lot of efficiencies in large master-planned communities," said John Carroll, president of Kirk Homes. He said the continued strength of sales and the length of time to get approval for new developments--in most cases several years--makes larger projects more cost-effective. Cutting costs has been a big part of the success formula for D.R. Horton, which like Wal-Mart uses its heft to demand lower prices from suppliers. This technique has held down the tab for roofing materials, door frames and appliances. In its latest fiscal year, D.R. Horton said it saved $145 million through its national and regional purchasing programs. That was equivalent to about $3,300 per house. The company "is very focused on being very efficient operationally," said John Burns, a housing consultant based in Irvine, Calif. "There is not a lot of waste in a D.R. Horton home." Some, however, have questioned the company's dedication to quality. For four years running, D.R. Horton has received average to below-average scores in customer satisfaction surveys by J.D. Power and Associates. Mortgage lender Shield said this year's numbers indicate that attached housing (condos and townhouses) comprised 54 percent of sales in the Chicago area in 2004, making it the first recent year that new attached units have outsold single-family houses. "I don't think we are as interest rate-sensitive as we used to be," thanks to the advent of new systems for assessing creditworthiness of borrowers, as well as creative financing alternatives, Shield said. A shift in attitude by consumers has been another key factor, said Malouf of Montalbano Homes. "People are not saving. They are putting their money into real estate," he said. "They see real estate as an appreciating asset and are choosing to put more money there, not in a savings account at the bank that pays 2 percent or less." Copyright © 2004, Chicago Tribune>

Parking in Chicago?!

All of us Urban people know that parking lots are horrible for cities. Parking structures are just as bad in my mind as well. Does the City offer any kind of incentive to build on these properties? This new garage at clark and lake looks like a real building. Can the city just stop all these new parking structues from being built. The just draw more cars and pollution into the loop, and we all know you can hardly breath down there as it is. Post you feelings on this issue, is it possible to get a group together and send some letters to the mayor to see if we can make an impact. If you have any pic's of the areas that contain the most parking post them as well. Lets see chicagos worst!>

Illinois Population Center

I have never seen or read anything that tells what the exact population center is for the state of Illinois, but it obviously is well into the Chicago Area. I don't have a clue as to the exact location, but if I took a stab, I'd imagine somewhere in the Palos/Orland area. Does anyone have any knowledge as to where it really is?>

Chicago and new business

I was at the bookstore today, and I was reading a magazine about new companies. It had a list of the nation's 400 fastest-growing private companies. On it, only 1 Chicago company was listed, as well as several suburban companies. Either way, the top big cities for these types of companies were Washington DC, Boston, NYC, and San Francisco. Chicago didn't even make the top 10! Interestingly, Chicago is ranked one of the top cities to relocate headquarters, has the highest business activity index in the nation, and over the years has continued to be a top financial center attracting and supporting the growth of major corporations. So my question is, what's Chicago's problem? One major issue that we all recognize is a relative weakness in attracting Venture Capital dollars. But still, why aren't Chicago startups gaining the kind of recognition that they deserve? Also, does this really imply something about Chicago's future? Because for some reason or another, despite these stats, Chicago continues to have a robust financial core that continues to thrive and attract business...>

One Museum Park

http://onemuseumpark.com/ 74 floors!>

Chicago after Daley

After Daley's time is over, what do you guys think will happen to Chicago? Even though many changes occurring in the city are reflective of broader trends outside of Daley's sphere of control, one does have to admit that Daley's policies and ideas/ways of doing things have had an enormous impact on this city in the past 15 years. He has pretty much become a dictator. Some of you may like him, others may not, but I would be safe to assume that what I said above is true. After Daley's time is gone, what kind of mayor would you like to see us have? What would you like to see him/her do differently than Daley? What would you want him/her to follow Daley's footsteps in? And while we're on this topic, do any you see any potential replacements for Daley (and no, "me" is not an answer! ) in the current political limelight?>