NOTE:  This is the first in an on-going series of Housing Policy Updates. The regional housing market has experienced some significant changes since the beginning of 2012.  Total housing permits and starts have ticked back up, and the for-sale market appears to be slowly recovering.  However, much of this growth has been driven by single-family starts concentrated... Read More

In the spring 2012 session, the General Assembly considered legislation to increase the transparency of several state and local tax incentive programs.  Although incentive programs utilize taxpayer dollars, their use is not always publicly disclosed.  This Policy Update reviews two new transparency laws recently signed by Governor Quinn regarding tax incentives. On August 17,... Read More

On August 23, 2012, the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) announced  formation of the Freight Policy Council to develop a National Freight Strategic Plan as called for by the two-year Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21 st Century (MAP-21) transportation reauthorization bill.  That plan will identify some 27,000 miles of Primary Freight Network, as well as other roads... Read More

Research activity at Illinois universities increasingly contributes to economic growth in the state. In the past much university research focused less on marketability and more on general principles, but in the last ten years, universities across the state and nation have intensified the transfer of research from theory into tangible products with commercial value. The August edition ... Read More

The recently-passed transportation reauthorization bill Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21 st Century (MAP-21) features a new federal emphasis on performance measurement.  This focus is consistent with GO TO 2040, which promotes the transparency of public data and decision-making and seeks to improve the accountability of public spending by better linking investments to outcomes.... Read More