The past few weeks have proven to be a pivotal few for the Transit Future campaign and, indeed, for the future of transit in Cook County.  On the evening of June 18th, Congressman Mike Quigley joined us in Chicago to show his support for transit expansion, addressing a room full of elected officials, business leaders, and other Transit Future supporters.  Quigley, who serves on the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies appropriation committee, shared... Read the rest of this entry »

The Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) applauds the U.S. Supreme Court for upholding disparate impact liability in the case of Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs v. Inclusive Communities Project. The Court ruled that the Fair Housing Act prohibits policies that adversely affect minority groups and reinforce segregation, even when such outcomes are an unintended consequence. At the center of the case was whether Low-Income Housing Tax Credits should be allocated to the... Read the rest of this entry »

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05) and U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced the bicameral Urban Flooding Awareness Act to address increased flooding in urban communities and to find solutions for the urban communities impacted.  “Flooding is not just a coastal issue. In recent years, cities, like Chicago, have experienced unprecedented flooding events. While emergency programs provide relief for families and businesses in traditional flood areas, those... Read the rest of this entry »

The Obama Foundation has officially announced the Obama Presidential Library will be located on Chicago’s South Side. When the institution comes to Washington Park or Jackson Park, it will bring millions of visitors and potentially billions of dollars in investment to the neighborhoods surrounding the University of Chicago.  Regardless of which site is selected, the library and museum development will include public investment and private commitments to improve the standard of living for... Read the rest of this entry »

Our recent report The Prevalence and Cost of Urban Flooding was a game changer in our efforts to keep homes and businesses dry and increase community resiliency in the face of increasingly severe rainstorms. We set out to pinpoint where exactly urban flooding was happening, and to our surprise we found that the majority of flood damage occurs outsideof designated floodplains. Because most flood relief programs focus on people who live within floodplains, we discovered... Read the rest of this entry »

The November 4 Illinois gubernatorial election is just around the corner. While there are many important topics being debated, we’re hearing next to nothing about funding for improved and expanded public transportation. For CNT, our Transit Future campaign, and the nearly half a million Cook County residents stranded in transit deserts, this is a critical issue. Our Transit Future partner organization, Active Transportation Alliance, even went as far as to offer ... Read the rest of this entry »

I recently read the U.S. PIRG Education Fund’s excellent new report,Highway Boondoggles: Wasted Money and America’s Transportation Future. I couldn’t help thinking about the decision(s) looming in CNT’s backyard about the proposed Illiana Expressway. Highway Boondoggles focuses on the national and local mismanagement of funding allocated to highway construction projects and the negative economic, social, and environmental consequences that such boondoggles might have. The report reminds... Read the rest of this entry »