Articles About Chicago

As urban farms and winter greenhouses sprout in vacant lots throughout Chicago, Mayor Richard M. Daley has proposed an ordinance aimed at “nourishing urban agriculture.”  Unfortunately, some urban farmers believe the ordinance – if passed by the Chicago City Council – might negatively impact the expansion of worthwhile projects that provide healthy food to many […]

As Chicago’s longest serving mayor leaves his post in May of 2011, Richard M. Daley leaves a legacy that includes the iconic Bean in Millennium Park to the flower-filled planters that ornament 85 miles of the city’s streets.  Whoever fills his post will find that budget shortfalls resulting from the Great Recession will collide with […]

Noted Chicago architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s famous maxim “Less is more” should apply to ambitious plans for revamping Chicago’s Navy Pier, the city’s top tourist destination.  Writing in the Chicago Tribune, architectural critic Blair Kamin says “The good news about the latest vision for the pier is that it discards the excesses of […]

The Federal Reserve is considering new action to simultaneously stimulate the economy and prevent the possibility of deflation.  Charles Evans, President of the Chicago Fed, recently said that the central bank needs to act to prevent the inflation rate from falling, saying the U.S. economy faces a “bona fide liquidity trap” and that additional accommodation […]

Eight Chicago taverns – all built more than a century ago by the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company and which bear the brewer’s signature globe logo – may be given landmark status by the City Council.  The former brewery-tied houses were built in the Queen Anne or Baroque styles and “convey important aspects of the ethnic, […]

Who is the recipient of the inaugural Mayor Richard M. Daley Legacy Award for Global Leadership in Creating Sustainable Cities?  It’s none other than retiring Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley himself. Writing in the Chicago Tribune, architecture critic Blair Kamin said “Chicago’s lame-duck mayor, famous for his green thumb and his iron fist, will receive […]

Rahm Emanuel’s abrupt departure as White House Chief of Staff to run for mayor of Chicago is no surprise  now that Richard M. Daley has announced his retirement after 21 years in office.  The mercurial Emanuel, who left his Congressional seat and House leadership position to take the White House job, was replaced by the […]

Chicago’s downtown office market started its long-awaited recovery in the 3rd quarter, with a slight decline in the vacancy rate reported following seven consecutive quarters of decline.  According to statistics provided by CB Richard Ellis, the vacancy rate fell to 17 percent from 17.3 percent across all property types.  Class A space has the lowest […]

It’s not your imagination.  Chicago’s weather is getting warmer and climate scientists, botanists and zoologists have collected evidence that show real-time changes in seasonal timing and weather patterns that are altering the region’s ecosystems.   Writing in the Chicago Tribune, reporter William Mullen says “This is what experts say we should expect in the future:  Shorter, […]

High-end residential sales in Chicago rose – somewhat unexpectedly — during the first eight months of 2010. This is primarily a result of sellers reducing their asking prices and closings at some high-profile condominium developments.  Even with the uptick in sales, there’s still an excess of houses and condos on the market that likely will […]