Traffic congestion is a frustrating daily experience for many of us. It results in wasted time, fuel, and money for residents and businesses.   Many of us have also seen shocking headlines that estimate the costs of congestion to our region, recently pegged at $8.2 billion in 2010.  That total corresponds to an average cost of $1,568 per peak period automobile commuter, the... Read More

On June 8, 2012, the Eno Center for Transportation released “ Better Use of Public Dollars: Economic Impact Analysis in Transportation Decision Making .”  This paper reviews the use of economic impact analysis in allocating transportation funds at both the federal and state levels.  Federal funds have traditionally been distributed to the states by formula, which are generally... Read More

The influence and value of parking in planning for livable communities is often underestimated and not well understood.  As one of the largest single land uses in municipalities' “footprints,” parking deserves more attention than it typically gets, due to its influence on the character, form, function, and flow of our communities. Many places in our region face a shortage of available,... Read More

The Trust for Public Land (TPL) recently released ParkScore , a tool that measures how well cities are meeting the need for parks. It also includes an on-line mapping function that allows users to zoom down to their neighborhoods and examine specific areas that are underserved. Chicago is among the 40 U.S. cities included in TPL’s ParkScore analysis. Previous analyses of the need for... Read More

The General Assembly adjourned last evening after passing the State budget, however they failed to pass any pension reforms. Following adjournment, the Governor announced that he would be meeting with the legislative leaders to agree on a pension reform bill prior to calling the House and Senate back later this summer. We were closely following the budget bills that contained funding... Read More