Department of Urban Planning and Policy at UIC

07/07/2022

McKinley Park Charrette 2022 - UIC Master of City Design Summer Studio (English subtitles)

In Summer 2022, a cohort of University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) Masters of City Design and Masters of Urban Planning & Policy students-- alongside community and institutional partners McKinley Park Development Council (MPDC), Design Workshop, and Institute for Policy and Civic Engagement-- embarked on a month-long research, community engagement, and planning/design process. This project laid out the initial steps to a longer neighborhood improvement process spearheaded by MPDC. Their research, findings from several community engagement events, and community-feedback on initial design proposals resulted in a plan of community codesigns which is available to view below.

https://lnkd.in/gx8p_nib | https://lnkd.in/gVpTegmm

Subtítulos en español: https://vimeo.com/720687919 中文字幕: https://vimeo.com/721172626 ~ In partnership with the McKinley Park Development Council (MPDC),…

06/09/2022

Know any high school students interested in a summer of learning about urban planning at CMAP? Applications open through June 20th.

This summer, 40 high school students will join the conversation and learn about building better communities.

Do you know someone who should be part of the program? Applications for are open through June 20: http://cmap.is/future-leaders-in-planning

06/02/2022

UIC City Design Charrette Students to Present McKinley Park Infrastructure Plan Options on June 10 | College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs | University of Illinois Chicago

UIC City Design Charrette Students to Present McKinley Park Infrastructure Plan Options on June 10 | College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs | University of Illinois Chicago

UIC City Design Charrette Students to Present McKinley Park Infrastructure Plan Options on June 10 Posted on May 31, 2022 Flyer for MCD Chicago Charrette Studio Final Presentation (June 2022) On June 10, the UIC Master of City Design (MCD) Summer Studio, aka the ‘Chicago Charrette,’ will hold a ...

05/19/2022

Photos from UIC College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs's post

05/06/2022

Congrats, grads! Virtually wear a UIC cap and gown with our new Commencement filters on Instagram and Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/fbcameraeffects/tryit/681395209406382/

04/28/2022

New study finds ‘generations’ of disinvestment, systemic racism in North Lawndale

A new study by the University of Illinois-Chicago’s Great Cities Institute has documented generations of “disinvestment, systemic racism and neglect” in North Lawndale.

“The well-being of residents is bolstered by the economic health of a neighborhood,” said Teresa Córdova, director of the Great Cities Institute and UIC Urban Planning and Policy Professor. “The problem occurs when … the wealth-building opportunities aren’t enough. When those wealth-building opportunities are denied, you start to have various quality of life indicators that are parallel to that.”

https://chicago.suntimes.com/2022/4/25/23041722/uic-study-disinvestment-systemic-racism-north-lawndale-west-side-economic-development-jobs-housing

The study, commissioned by the Lawndale Christian Development Corp., highlights the scarce job and educational opportunities in the West Side community.

04/28/2022

Op-Ed: Chicago needs to rethink its speed camera system

Red Light and Speed Camera report by UPP Professors Stacey Sutton and Nebiyou Tilahun cited in Center Square Op-Ed.

https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/op-ed-chicago-needs-to-rethink-its-speed-camera-system/article_b8fa9230-c5b2-11ec-b67d-2b07e611cea5.html

Chicago speed cameras issue one ticket every 11 seconds.

03/28/2022

“Addressing Climate Driven Displacement: Planning for sea level rise in Florida’s coastal communities and affordable housing in inland communities in the face of climate gentrification", report by UPP Prof. April Jackson and co-authors conclude that as sea levels rise, lower-income residents living inland in communities and counties of color in Jacksonville, Pinellas, and Miami-Dade are at risk of being displaced by this gentrification as more affluent and educated residents leave their coastal communities and look for safe housing inland.

The report has been featured in the WUSF Public Media, Tampa Bay Business Journal, The Real Deal, and Miami Daily News. Read the full report here:https://coss.fsu.edu/collins/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2022/02/Butler-Jackson-Holmes-et-al.-2021-Final-LCI-Report-Climate-Gentrification-Updated-min.pdf

03/16/2022

Crowd control

UPP professors Phil Ashton and Rachel Weber have published a new article on urban crowdfunding schemes entitled “Crowd control: The regulatory logics of urban crowdfunding.” In it they assess whether and how forms of internet-based financial intermediation are disrupting established public and private methods of raising capital for urban development. The article is part of a themed issue of the journal City on “Crowds, communities, (post)capitalism, and the sharing economy.” https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13604813.2021.2018852

(2022). Crowd control. City: Vol. 26, No. 1, pp. 128-141.

03/15/2022

Publications | National Initiative on Mixed-Income Communities | Case Western Reserve University

The Chicago SunTimes, WBEZ, Block Club Chicago and Crain's Chicago Business featured the work of April Jackson, associate professor of urban planning and policy, and Dr. Amy Khare, Research Director, National Initiative on Mixed Income Communities at Case Western Reserve University’s recent report released, “Household and Community Change within Chicago’s Woodlawn Neighborhood” and companion brief, “From the Ground Up: Housing as a Catalyst for Community-Driven Redevelopment of Chicago’s Majority-Black Woodlawn Neighborhood.

Both reports highlight the decade of work implemented by the Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH) $30.5M Choice Neighborhood Initiative in Woodlawn. Authors conclude that POAH leveraged over $400M into Woodlawn to support a model of comprehensive community change, however work remains to strengthen local affordable housing policies to limit displacement pressures from incoming public and private investments, such as the Obama Presidential Library. Links to both reports can be found here.

https://case.edu/socialwork/nimc/research/publications

Selected Publications on Mixed-Income Communities Joseph, Mark L. and Miyoung Yoon. (In press). Mixed-Income Developments.

03/14/2022

How inadequate infrastructure fails some Chicagoans

In a co-authored column published by Crain’s Chicago Business, Kate Lowe, associate professor of urban planning and policy, advocates for infrastructure investments that address mobility disparities. Findings from a 2020 study co-authored by Lowe are also cited in a Crain’s Chicago Business article on how Chicago’s infrastructure inequities limit some communities’ access to jobs outside the Loop.

https://www.chicagobusiness.com/equity/chicagos-infrastructure-inequities-limit-communities-access

Inequities in public amenities leave Chicago South and West Side residents at a disadvantage. New spending on rails, buses and mixed-use development can change that.

02/24/2022

Today and tomorrow at 12PM join the Urban Innovation Symposium.

The Urban Innovation Symposium (UIS) brings together planners, policymakers, academics, and students to explore topics in urban planning and policy in Chicago. This year's event will be spread over 2 days, virtual, free, and open to the public. More info and registration here: https://www.uppsa.org/uis

02/22/2022

The Urban Innovation Symposium (UIS) will be held virtually, free, and open to the public Thursday 2/24 and Friday 2/25. UIS brings together planners, policymakers, academics, and students to explore topics in urban planning and policy in Chicago.

More info and registration: https://www.uppsa.org/uis

The 12th Annual Urban Innovation Symposium is presented by the student organizations in the UIC College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs: Latinx Planning Organization for Development Education and Regeneration (LPODER), Women in Planning and Public Affairs (WPPA), Society for Black Urban Planners (SBUP), and Urban Planning and Policy Student Association (UPPSA).

02/18/2022

As Black Exodus Continues in Chicago, Latino Caucus Seeks Stronger Voice

The Wall Street Journal interviews Teresa Cordova, director of the Great Cities Institute and professor of urban planning and policy at UIC, and Dick Simpson, UIC professor of political science, in a story about the ongoing battle over the remap of Chicago’s wards and Latinos gaining more clout as the city’s demographics have changed.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/as-black-exodus-continues-in-chicago-latino-caucus-seeks-stronger-voice-11645029587?st=giikq8j4qy8b4gt&reflink=article_email_share

Latinos surpassed Black residents in the latest census, setting up a fight over City Council seats.

02/17/2022

Podcast: A conversation with UIC researchers about Chicago’s traffic camera program

Streetsblog Chicago’s latest podcast episode features an interview with Stacey Sutton, UIC associate professor of urban planning and policy, and Nebiyou Tilahun, UIC associate professor of urban planning and policy, who discuss the City of Chicago’s traffic camera program and the findings from their city-commissioned study examining equity and public safety issues associated with the program.

https://chi.streetsblog.org/2022/02/14/a-conversation-with-uic-researchers-about-chicagos-traffic-camera-program/

During the conversation, the UIC researchers discussed potential equity issues with the program, as well as sharing the nitty-gritty of their methodology.

02/09/2022

📣Annual Research on Cities Summit 6.0

The School of Human Settlements (SHS), XIM University, Bhubaneswar will organise the Annual Research on Cities Summit 6.0 online from 10th to 12th February 2022.

Join the Conference Plenary Session "Urban Green Transition: Global Agenda, Local Actions" together with Frank D'hondt, the ISOCARP Secretary General, Piotr Lorens, Head, Department of Urban Design and Regional Planning, Gdansk University of Technology and Markus Appenzeller, Director MLA+.

🔹 10th February at 1:00 PM (UTC)
🔗 Read more: https://bit.ly/3LiQPGN

02/09/2022

Who will buy a shuttered West Side Aldi? The city of Chicago is interested.

A WBEZ online story about the City of Chicago possibly taking over a former Aldi store in Garfield Park to address the need for grocery stores in the neighborhood includes comments from Stacey Sutton, UIC associate professor of Urban Planning and Policy, who offers alternative measures the city could take beyond just finding a new owner and operator for the property.

Sutton said there’s opportunity for Chicago to do even more. For instance, the city could own and maintain the building and incentivize a community-owned food enterprise to open there, offering tax abatements or incentives. Sutton said that could lead to stability and prevent another grocer from leaving. “If this is really about community-driven [process] and … community wealth building — if the community residents own and operate it, it’s not going anywhere,” said Sutton.

https://www.wbez.org/stories/can-the-city-of-chicago-buy-the-garfield-park-aldi/9006146b-3c9e-49f9-80fa-46149ce4359b

The bold move aims to keep one of the last remaining grocery stores in Garfield Park from permanently disappearing.

02/09/2022

Information Session - 2/17/22 @ 6pm (CST)

Upcoming Graduate Program Information Session - Webinar via Zoom: February 17, 2022 @ 6pm CST*

Would you like to develop creative and sustainable solutions to the most pressing challenges facing cities; environmental degradation, racial segregation, sprawl, health disparities, neighborhood displacement? Come learn more about our graduate degree program in Urban Planning & Policy and City Design. Our interdisciplinary, hands-on curriculum provides immersive exposure to the dynamics shaping Chicago and other cities, enabling our students to be leaders, analysts, and change-makers.

To RSVP, please complete the following form: https://lnkd.in/eXmD_aCn

*This event will be recorded and made available the following day.

Would you like to develop creative and sustainable solutions to the most pressing challenges facing cities; environmental degradation, racial segregation, sprawl, health disparities, neighborhood displacement? Come learn more about our graduate degree programs in Urban Planning & Policy and City Des...

02/08/2022

Information Session - 2/17/22 @ 6pm (CST)

Upcoming Graduate Program Information Session - Webinar via Zoom: February 17, 2022 @ 6pm CST*

Would you like to develop creative and sustainable solutions to the most pressing challenges facing cities; environmental degradation, racial segregation, sprawl, health disparities, neighborhood displacement? Come learn more about our graduate degree program in Urban Planning & Policy and City Design. Our interdisciplinary, hands-on curriculum provides immersive exposure to the dynamics shaping Chicago and other cities, enabling our students to be leaders, analysts, and change-makers.

To RSVP, please complete the following form: https://lnkd.in/eXmD_aCn

*This event will be recorded and made available the following day.

Would you like to develop creative and sustainable solutions to the most pressing challenges facing cities; environmental degradation, racial segregation, sprawl, health disparities, neighborhood displacement? Come learn more about our graduate degree programs in Urban Planning & Policy and City Des...

02/07/2022

Information Session - 2/17/22 @ 6pm (CST)

Upcoming Graduate Program Information Session - Webinar via Zoom: February 17, 2022 @ 6pm CST*

Would you like to develop creative and sustainable solutions to the most pressing challenges facing cities; environmental degradation, racial segregation, sprawl, health disparities, neighborhood displacement? Come learn more about our graduate degree program in Urban Planning & Policy and City Design. Our interdisciplinary, hands-on curriculum provides immersive exposure to the dynamics shaping Chicago and other cities, enabling our students to be leaders, analysts, and change-makers.

To RSVP, please complete the following form: https://lnkd.in/eXmD_aCn

*This event will be recorded and made available the following day.

Would you like to develop creative and sustainable solutions to the most pressing challenges facing cities; environmental degradation, racial segregation, sprawl, health disparities, neighborhood displacement? Come learn more about our graduate degree programs in Urban Planning & Policy and City Des...

02/01/2022

Stacey Swearingen White Appointed CUPPA's Next Dean | College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs | University of Illinois Chicago

Stacey Swearingen White Appointed CUPPA's Next Dean | College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs | University of Illinois Chicago

Stacey Swearingen White Appointed CUPPA’s Next Dean A Message from UIC Provost Javier Reyes Copy link Dr. Stacey Swearingen White Dear Colleagues, I am pleased to announce that Stacey Swearingen White, PhD, will become the new dean of the College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs (CUPPA) at the...

01/31/2022

[Tomorrow at Noon] Designing a Gender-Equal City: Perspectives from Vienna, Barcelona, and France. Register here: https://calendars.illinois.edu/detail/1889/33422191

Co-Sponsored by UIC Great Cities Institute

01/20/2022

It is with great sadness that we must announce the passing of our friend and leader of UIC United Faculty, Union President Janet Smith.

Janet died in the comfort of her home, surrounded by family, after a long fight with cancer and a sudden decline. She face that fight with hope and determination, and throughout it all, she never waiver in striving for justice and equity as a researcher, advocate, and union leader.

Janet will be sorely missed, but fondly remembered. We will be arranging memorial activities and sharing those with members shortly.

https://uicunitedfaculty.org/uicuf-president-janet-smith-has-passed-away/

01/20/2022

Remembering Janet Smith | College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs | University of Illinois Chicago

The UIC and CUPPA community are deeply saddened to write that our friend and colleague, UPP Professor Janet Smith has passed away. Our hearts go out to her husband and to her many friends within UIC and beyond.

Janet was committed to social equity, community voice, and valuing community-driven solutions to enduring urban problems. She was an excellent professor, colleague, and friend who will be missed by everyone.

https://cuppa.uic.edu/academics/upp/remembering-janet-smith/

Remembering Janet Smith UIC Mourns the Loss of Our Urban Planning and Policy Professor and Co-Director of the Voorhees Center Remembering Janet Smith Copy link UIC and the faculty, staff, students and alumni of the College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs are mourning the loss of Urban Planning....

01/14/2022

Chicago's minority drivers more likely to get red light, speed camera tickets: study

Stacey Sutton, UIC associate professor of urban planning and policy, was interviewed during an ABC 7 Chicago segment on her co-authored City of Chicago-commissioned study of the city’s automated red-light and speed camera enforcement program and what was found regarding traffic camera effectiveness and social equity impacts. https://abc7chicago.com/chicago-red-light-camera-ticket-speed-tickets/11459413/

There are hundreds of red light cameras and speed cameras, placed proportionately in all Chicago neighborhoods, but one study shows that they're more likely to fine minority drivers.

12/21/2021

UIC Urban Planning and Policy Dept. Head, Nik Theodore named to the 2021 Highly Cited Researchers list from Clarivate Analytics.

Theodore conducts work focused on economic restructuring, labor standards and worker organizing, and he has been published widely in geography, public policy and urban studies journals.

His engaged research on day labor, domestic work and labor standards enforcement has been featured by major news organizations, such as The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times and National Public Radio.

https://today.uic.edu/two-uic-researchers-land-on-highly-cited-researchers-2021-list?utm_source=mailpoet&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=today%2B12.21.21

12/17/2021

MUPP Information Session - 1/06/22 @ 12pm (CST)

Upcoming Graduate Program Information Session - Webinar via Zoom: January 6, 2021 @ 12pm CST*

Would you like to develop creative and sustainable solutions to the most pressing challenges facing cities; environmental degradation, racial segregation, sprawl, health disparities, neighborhood displacement? Come learn more about our graduate degree program in Urban Planning & Policy. Our interdisciplinary, hands-on curriculum provides immersive exposure to the dynamics shaping Chicago and other cities, enabling our students to be leaders, analysts, and change-makers.

To RSVP, please complete the following form: https://forms.gle/r8UJZJ4EDqxuVLr47.

*This event will be recorded and made available the following day.

Would you like to develop creative and sustainable solutions to the most pressing challenges facing cities; environmental degradation, racial segregation, sprawl, health disparities, neighborhood displacement? Come learn more about our graduate degree program in Urban Planning & Policy. Our interdis...

12/09/2021

Congratulations to Professor Stacey Sutton!

"ACSP along with the Planners of Color Interest Group (POCIG) is pleased to announce that Stacey Sutton is the winner of the 2021 Edward Blakely Award.

Professor Stacey Sutton is making a difference for People of Color locally and nationally with research and advocacy that aim to eradicate the widespread criminalization of poverty and structural economic violence in Black and Brown communities, while providing meaningful and creative alternatives of economic democracy. Dr. Sutton is a brilliant urban planning researcher specializing in the development and analysis of cooperatives and solidarity economies as a strategy for realizing greater economic democracy and racial justice. Her service is exemplary. She is well connected and very much 'plugged into' community organizations and activists, both in Chicago and beyond.”

https://www.acsp.org/page/Sutton2021

12/03/2021

Why are Black residents leaving Chicago? | Illinois Public Media

Stacey Sutton, UIC associate professor of urban planning and policy, was part of a panel discussion heard on NPR Illinois’ “The 21st Show” that examined Black population loss in Chicago. https://will.illinois.edu/21stshow/story/why-are-black-residents-leaving-chicago

After a massive influx to Chicago during the Great Migration, many Black residents are leaving the city. To talk more about the out-migration of Chicago’s black residents, we were joined by the CEO of an resident association, a professor of Urban Planning, a Chicago bakery owner and former profess...

12/02/2021

St. Louis eyes MetroLink expansion even as bus service contracts

Kate Lowe, UIC associate professor of urban planning and policy, was a featured guest on St. Louis Public Radio’s “St. Louis on the Air,” where she discussed various issues related to the potential expansion of St. Louis’ light-rail line and notes a new light-rail line “can’t come at the expense of quality bus operation.” The full audio of the segment and a related online story are available via St. Louis Public Radio’s website. https://news.stlpublicradio.org/show/st-louis-on-the-air/2021-12-01/st-louis-eyes-metrolink-expansion-even-as-bus-service-contracts

St. Louis has $41 million in sales tax revenue that could be used to build a north-south MetroLink expansion. But is that what the city’s public transit system needs?

11/12/2021

The Migrant Workers Who Follow Climate Disasters

An article from The New Yorker on migrant laborers who travel to areas impacted by climate disasters cites related research from Nik Theodore, UIC professor and head of urban planning and policy, director of the Center for Urban Economic Development and fellow at the Great Cities Institute. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/11/08/the-migrant-workers-who-follow-climate-disasters

A growing group of laborers is trailing hurricanes and wildfires the way farmworkers follow crops, contracting for big disaster-recovery firms, and facing exploitation, injury, and death.

11/10/2021

This System Determines Who Holds Power—And Who Doesn’t

A Better Government Association column on political gerrymandering of state legislative districts includes perspective from Jim Lewis, senior research specialist at UIC’s Great Cities Institute, who addresses the Supreme Court’s role in the process that leads to strange shaped districts in Illinois. https://www.bettergov.org/news/this-system-determines-who-holds-power-and-who-doesn-t/

We're talking about political mapmaking, of course. Partisan gerrymandering locks dominant parties into power, but it doesn't have to be this way. The push for fair maps must become a national movement.

10/22/2021

Infrastructure Financing and the Bonds of Inequality

On the website Metropolitics, Urban Planning and Policy Professor, Rachel Weber, reviews historian Destin Jenkins’ new book, The Bonds of Inequality: Debt and the Making of the American City, which shows how decisions about infrastructure financing reinforce preexisting racial inequalities and hierarchies.
https://metropolitics.org/Infrastructure-Financing-and-the-Bonds-of-Inequality.html

Rachel Weber reviews historian Destin Jenkins' new book, The Bonds of Inequality: Debt and the Making of the American City, which shows how decisions about infrastructure financing reinforce preexisting racial inequalities and hierarchies. As the United States awaits a massive federal stimulus in th...

10/15/2021

Sydney "Tolu" Atoyebi is getting her master's in urban planning and policy, with a focus on community development, at UIC College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs. During her internship, she wants to learn more about regional planning and how CMAP creates policy recommendations.

Department of Urban Planning and Policy at UIC

10/12/2021

Obama Center neighbors still waiting for housing protection

A NBCNews.com story about the Obama Presidential Center and concerns related to the potential displacement of area residents includes comments from Stacey Sutton, UIC associate professor of urban planning and policy, and findings from a 2019 report on housing prices in the area by UIC’s Nathalie P. Voorhees Center for Neighborhood and Community Improvement. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/how-can-we-benefit-it-if-we-re-not-there-n1280875

Despite aiming to benefit historically underprivileged communities of color, housing experts say without timely and robust housing protections, the center may become a catalyst for displacement.

10/08/2021

Study: Black, Latino Bicyclists Face More Ticketing and Less Infrastructure

During a WTTW-TV “Chicago Tonight” news segment about the policing of Latino and Black cyclists in Chicago, Kate Lowe, UIC associate professor of urban planning and policy, addresses the need for community input and equity in the city’s plan to expand bike lanes.

https://news.wttw.com/2021/10/06/study-black-latino-bicyclists-face-more-ticketing-and-less-infrastructure

Cyclists of color in Chicago get a disproportionate number of tickets from police, according to reports by the Chicago Tribune. Bike advocates hope a new city initiative can help address the problem but say it’s not just about infrastructure.