Tag Archives: Chicago

Chicago suburbs to compete with Chicago to supply municipal water needs with Lake Michigan water

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Earlier this week, a group of Chicago suburbs announced plans to pump and distribute Lake Michigan water. This would put them in competition with the water supplied by the city of Chicago:

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The DuPage commission alone is paying Chicago’s Department of Water Management $130 million this year, commission Chair Jim Zay told the Tribune Publishing-owned Daily Herald. The DuPage consortium is Chicago’s single largest wholesale customer, accounting for 15% of the city water system’s annual operating revenue, according to Fitch Ratings.

The threat to Chicago is several years away; the DuPage commission is contracted to buy water from the city until 2041. But that’s how long it would take to secure approvals, financing and build the competing system anyway.

The backers of the suburban plan complain that Chicago in the past has raised its rates suddenly and exorbitantly and that more recently the city’s service hasn’t been sufficiently reliable. “They don’t put anything back into the system; that’s the problem,” the Herald quoted Zay as saying. “This year we’ll pay them $130 million, and they put nothing in for infrastructure.”…

And if these suburban officials conclude that the risk of continuing to do business with Chicago for generations to come is greater than executing this complex and expansive infrastructure project, that’s their prerogative. To our minds, it’s not an easy call.

This reminds me of two features of American suburbs:

  1. One leading reason suburban communities stopped approving annexation of their community into big cities in the late 1800s had to do with utilities. Once costs of supplying electricity, water, gas, and other needed resources decreased, suburbs developed their own systems rather than join the city to enjoy the benefits of their systems.
  2. Suburbs and their residents like local government. Even as the competing suburban water system would be administered by suburban officials, they would prefer that local control rather than having the big city control the water. This does not mean all the suburbs will agree about how to go about the water business but they probably believe they would rather have decisions in the hands of suburbanites rather than city people.

In other words, this move to have suburbs supply Lake Michigan water is part of longstanding patterns. Yes, it involves a lot of money and effort. But the suburbs think it is worthwhile compared to relying on the big city.

Compared to New York City, Chicago has a bigger tradition of homeownership?

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In discussing proposed ordinances to protect renters in Chicago, the Chicago Tribune contrasts renting in Chicago and New York City:

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And New York has less of a tradition of ownership.

Most Manhattanites have traded the advantages of owning their own place for a life in a great city. Chicago, historically, has not required that trade-off but has offered both.

You can rent an apartment until you can save enough to afford to buy a condo and then maybe a small home as your family grows. Or you can use the rent you get from one apartment in a two-flat to cover a mortgage and live upstairs yourself.

Our big advantage over cities like New York, you might say.

I wonder about these claims. Here is why:

  1. Both cities have different neighborhoods or boroughs. This is part of who they are: the cities annexed neighborhoods and communities as they grew and these different places have unique histories. Both have sizable central business districts. Both have residential neighborhoods. Both have areas with lots of rented units, other areas with more homeownership.
  2. The comparison to Manhattan seems to be doing a lot in the argument. Manhattan has a lot of residents – roughly 1.6 million – but the borough accounts for less than 20% of New York City’s population. Manhattan is expensive but it is not the same as other parts of the city, even if housing is expensive in New York City and the region overall compared to many other places in the United States.
  3. The desire for homeownership is related to but different from the ability to purchase a home. Do people in New York City want to rent long-term or is that what is more available? How do people in New York and Chicago narrate their desired paths and then what is possible?
  4. The editorial hints at an ongoing comparisons of Chicago to New York.

Quantifying the arts industry in Chicago

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A new report puts numbers to the scale of the arts industry in Chicago:

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The report found that the sector’s direct jobs account for just over 11% of employment in the city, which the report says makes it a larger workforce than educational services, retail or manufacturing. Rice said there is not a single creative industry driving that number, but rather, it accounts for workers in arts education, design, audiovisual media, performing arts and beyond.

“When we talk about supporting the creative economy, we’re not talking about a single industry,” Rice said. “We’re talking about a broad network of workers, organizations and businesses that collectively power economic growth across our state.”

The report also found that for every $1 of output generated by the creative economy, another $0.38 is generated in local economic activity. And that the sector generates $5.7 billion in tax revenue annually, with $3.8 billion of that going toward federal taxes and $1.9 billion going toward state, county and local taxes.

Making the economic argument is part of living in the modern world. Even as the arts could talk about enriching community life or contributing to human expression, dollars and job numbers matter to many. If people think Chicago is about the financial industry or transportation, these numbers help make a case for the arts.

Or perhaps they could make the creative class argument: echoing Richard Florida, Chicago and other cities have benefited from the activity of creative class firms, organizations, and individuals who gather in major population centers.

Either way, the arts are an essential part of the big city. It is hard to imagine Chicago or any big city around the world without thinking of music, art, theater, and cultural events. When large numbers of people come together, there are unique opportunities for creativity and expression. Not that this cannot happen in smaller communities but cities bring together people from all over, have the capacity for both small and large events, and have a reputation for innovation.

No World Cup games in Chicago is a travesty – and a new football stadium could have helped

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The World Cup is underway and Chicago is not part of it. Why not?

Former mayor Rahm Emanuel rejected FIFA’s proposal to play games in Chicago.

Chicago was a host city during the last men’s World Cup played in the US, which came back in 1994.

It seemed like an ideal place to host games, not only because of that history, but also due to the fact it boasts an iconic stadium in Soldier Field.

However, Mayor Emanuel rejected FIFA’s proposal for two reasons. One because he did not feel like his city was getting a fair deal, and the other because there was a chance the sport’s governing body could put a roof on Soldier Field.

It sounds like Emanuel thinks he was protecting the city. However, it is a missed opportunity for the nation’s third largest city which is a global city, has a busy airport that can handle all the visitors, great sites and neighborhoods, and plenty of soccer fans. And it has happened before: Soldier Field has home to five games in the 1994 World Cup, including the opening game.

Could a new stadium like the Bears are seeking have made this possible? Soldier Field is smaller in comparison to other American football stadiums hosting World Cup games. A number of the host stadiums have been built more recently. Whether in Arlington Heights or Hammond, wouldn’t a new stadium have been exactly the kind of venue to help fans experience the Chicago area?

How many housing units should be added each year in Chicago?

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Chicago is the third largest city in the United States. How many housing units should be built in the city each year?

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In Chicago, fewer than 5,000 new units were completed over the past year — about 0.8% of existing inventory — nowhere near enough to meet demand. To close the gap, production will have to accelerate dramatically in the years ahead. In other words, the city of big shoulders needs to get to work. Chicago doesn’t just need more housing — it needs far more housing, an increase of a scale we haven’t seen in years. That won’t happen if lawmakers don’t get more obstacles out of the way.

The Chicago area ranks among the three worst metros in the nation for housing underproduction, behind New York and Los Angeles, according to a 2022 report from nonpartisan group Up for Growth, and the gap has not improved meaningfully since then.

The argument in this editorial is that this figure is far too low. The city needs more units built, if only to help counter rising prices for purchasing and renting.

But what exactly is the number of units a “healthy” city would add each year? 2% of inventory? 5% of inventory? How do these numbers intersect with growth or decline in population with Chicago experiencing a little of each in recent decades. How should these residential units be spread across price points so a city is not just adding really expensive units? The kind of housing residents need might not line up with what developers and builders want to construct.

There is a lot to be figured out here. Having a clear number might help prompt action. It may not. I have seen plenty of numbers over the years from groups suggesting that many units are needed to address affordable housing and little seems to be done in the biggest cities (LA and NYC are also noted above for low construction rates).

Air pollution in Chicago and its suburbs

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Chicago ranked high in air pollution in 2025 and this air pollution was not just limited to the city:

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During a year marked by Canadian wildfire smoke and an unprecedented dust storm, which worsened transportation emissions, Chicago ranked as the third-most polluted major U.S. city in 2025, according to a report released Tuesday.

The average concentration of small particulate matter in the city last year was 9.7 micrograms per cubic meter of air — almost double the World Health Organization’s recommended limit of 5 micrograms per cubic meter, and a more than 15% increase from 2024, when Chicago dropped to seventh place among the most polluted major cities in the country. It was second in 2023. Smaller communities in the Joliet area — Ingalls Park, Lockport and Crest Hill — recorded the highest concentrations in the state, and all averaged above 10 micrograms per cubic meter…

But PM2.5 concentrations can also vary from town to town and even from one neighborhood or one city block to another. For instance, in Chicago, primarily Black and Latino neighborhoods with more traffic and heavy industry can have higher concentrations of particulate matter over time. That can be exacerbated by temporary factors such as fireworks on July Fourth.

Forty miles southwest of the city, Ingalls Park, Lockport and Crest Hill topped the state’s list with a yearly average of 11.3, 11.2 and 10.9 micrograms of particulate matter per cubic meter of air, respectively. Joliet ranked No. 6. According to census data, the Hispanic and Latino population is 41% in Ingalls Park, 35% in Joliet and 27% in Crest Hill. For context, 19% of the state’s population is Hispanic…

Nearby, the Des Plaines River also contributes to barge traffic. And I-80 — the second-longest interstate highway in the country, crucial for long-haul freight — also fills the air with smog and particulate matter. According to the Illinois Department of Transportation, I-80 through Joliet and Will County carries approximately 80,000 vehicles a day, about 25% of which are trucks.

Chicago, like a number of cities, has a long history of industrial suburbs. These locations outside city limits became popular in the nineteenth century for industrial use because of cheaper land and fewer residents around affected by pollution. But industrial facilities attracted workers and other businesses and cities and metropolitan areas expanded, bringing these industrial suburbs into the fold.

And factories and power plants, two typical producers of air pollutants, are not the only polluting members of suburban communities. As noted above, highways and roads contribute to this as do warehouses and other industrial facilities. Joliet and the nearby area have become home to many warehouses as its location lends itself to intermodal facilities where companies can load and unload outside of a major city in the middle of the country. Suburban life depends on driving and residents want their goods delivered to them or their nearby stores.

What possible solutions are there? Facilities or property owners can face restrictions or pressure regarding pollutants produced. Communities can push back against the ongoing proliferation of facilities. This is hard within a region. One community might say no to more warehouses or data centers. However, among hundreds of municipalities within a region, another one might say yes to the jobs, growth, and status. A regional approach where communities and other bodies of government come together to have an approach could be helpful. It could also help suburbanites to look beyond just their municipality or immediate neighborhood context; air pollution can cover a broader area and becoming familiar with a broader area could help.

Mapping and regulation needed before self-driving cars can operate in Illinois

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Two big steps need to be taken before Waymo can operate autonomous vehicles in Illinois:

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The self-driving taxi company is deploying about 10 vehicles in Chicago to start mapping the city’s streets — thus “laying the early groundwork” for future operations here — Waymo said Wednesday. 

But for now, the cars will be driven by people. State officials say legislative change is likely needed to give the green light to self-driving cars in Illinois, and Waymo’s Chicago soft launch comes as a battle over the issue is heating up in Springfield…

The mayor’s office confirmed Waymo had notified the city it would be operating here “in order to map streets formations, record geographical data, and better understand driving conditions.” The company assured the city it would not deploy autonomous vehicles in Chicago yet, the mayor’s office said….

Though several legislative attempts last year went nowhere, state lawmakers have filed at least three bills related to autonomous vehicle regulation since January…

I was aware of the need for a regulatory framework. Rules need to be established. Liability needs to be defined. Political negotiations or compromises need to take place. There are regulations from other places can provide direction but there may also be Illinois or Chicago specific concerns.

I was more surprised to hear about the mapping needs. What additional information does Waymo need compared to what is already available? What extra details will be captured? How much information can the mapping gather? How much data does the typical Waymo vehicle have access to while moving around the streets of Chicago?

There are a lot of roadways in Chicago. Driving them all would take less time than running them all. But it will still take some time. Will the mapping be done before the legislative or regulatory activity finishes? Are there multiple waves of data collection?

The article provides no possible dates of when action related to this will finish. Perhaps Chicago will have its driverless cars in a year or a few years. When that happens, it will be with massive amounts of mapping data and clear state (and local?) guidelines.

O’Hare back as the busiest American airport

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New data from 2025 suggests O’Hare Airport is again the busiest airport in the country:

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Preliminary federal data posted Tuesday shows 857,392 flights occurred at O’Hare in 2025 compared with archrival Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport’s 807,625 operations…

The last time O’Hare came first was in 2019. Since then, Hartsfield-Jackson led the pack.

Why did this happen?

“O’Hare is America’s hottest connecting hub right now due to concurrent expansion by American and United, plus new international flying.”

Why might it matter?

“It was a blow to our reputation as the country’s premier transportation hub when O’Hare lost this distinction,” Schwieterman noted.

What does it take for a city to be considered a transportation hub? Here are some factors that might fit. Multiple modes of transportation. An advantageous location. Some recognizable transportation centers. And lots of people and goods moving into and out of a city and region.

Chicago fits that bill without necessarily having the busiest airport. From its beginning it has been a railroad and waterways hub and then added roads and airports.

Does the busiest airport help? Probably because then the city can claim to be #1 and people tend to remember what is at the top of the list rather who is in third or fifth place.

This could also be a situation where losing the #1 busiest airport ranking would go without comment while reaching the top spot is worth celebrating and noting. What leader wants to be responsible in a drop in status?

It is also interesting to consider how the busyness of airport data lines up with the satisfaction of passengers and airlines using those airports. Should a city aim for busy airports or well-liked airports?

McMansions as short-term rentals, fake images of downtown Chicago, and news about housing

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I search regularly for interesting news about McMansions. I recently ran across a headline that seemed plausible: “The Rise of Suburban Tourism: How Empty McMansions Are Redefining Vacation Stays.” But the headline was paired with a particular picture:

Image at link

I am familiar with the Chicago skyline and lakefront. This image is…interesting. It has elements of the Chicago lakefront. A big body of water. Some iconic buildings. The Bean. Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable Lake Shore Drive and parks along the water.

But it is also clearly wrong. The buildings are not where they should be. The lakefront is not in the right pattern. The Bean is not located on a pedestal next to the water. The local highway does not empty onto the lakefront road in that manner. And so on.

So is the McMansion story true? The summary/conclusion:

Empty McMansions in the suburbs of the United States are reshaping tourism patterns, with many tourists now seeking more dynamic urban destinations. However, these empty homes also present new opportunities for suburban areas to adjust and offer new experiences for visitors. Through creative uses of space, a focus on sustainable tourism, and rebranding efforts, suburban regions can continue to evolve as attractive destinations for a new generation of travelers.

Are more McMansions being rented out? Is this changing tourism patterns in metropolitan regions? is there any evidence of this happening? There is little in the story to provide evidence for the argument.

I will keep my eyes open for similar news but the fake image of Chicago does not inspire confidence.

Schwinn once an important Chicago company but the industry and the world changed

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A look at a new documentary on the bicycle company Schwinn tells of how it was once a Chicago company and then it was not:

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The story starts in 1895, when German immigrants Ignaz Schwinn and Adolph Arnold founded Arnold, Schwinn & Co. in Chicago. Schwinn would subsequently buy out his partner and build an enduring family business that would reign over the bicycle industry for generations, surviving the rise of the automobile, the Depression and two world wars.

In fact, the original six-story Schwinn factory at Lake and Peoria streets in Fulton Market still stands as a monument to Chicago’s erstwhile bike company, with plans to redevelop the now-vacant building into office space…

As market share dwindled, Schwinn began outsourcing production. By 1983, Schwinn ceased its Chicago manufacturing, laying off 1,800 employees and moving most of its production overseas to Taiwan.

In 1992, struggling with debt, the storied Chicago company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy under fourth-generation owner Ed Schwinn…

The bike company has rolled on under a succession of new owners and is now part of Dutch conglomerate Pon, with Schwinn based in Madison, Wisconsin. But the movie focuses on the Chicago glory years, when the Schwinn brand ruled the sidewalks, schoolyards and bike lanes.

This might be the story of a number of companies over the years. They had success with lots of work and new ideas. They rose to become a known and popular brand. But then industries and places changed. People no longer wanted the product in the same way. They moved manufacturing overseas. They hit hard financial times and even though the brand name lives on, it has done so under the ownership of different companies and the company is now based in another city.

And this could also be the story of places. Chicago, like a number of American cities, particularly in the Northeast and Midwest, were centers for manufacturing. American companies produced a lot for decades. And much of that went elsewhere by the end of the twentieth century. Sociologist William Julius Wilson describes these shifts and their effects on neighborhoods in When Work Disappears. The loss of tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs was a hard blow to many cities who struggled to pursue or grow other businesses or industries in subsequent years.

In the big picture, both companies and places go through cycles and lifespans. They do not necessarily continue as they have been, even when they are successful. We tend to like the stories of their rise and it can be harder to wrestle with their falls. But both are part of the human experience.