Happy Independence Day! Our country isn’t perfect, but I’m proud to fly our flag. I encourage you to celebrate the good that America has to offer. We invented National Parks. We beat the Confederacy and the Nazis. We landed on the moon. We legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. And so much more.

New from @juanpab.bsky.social, @keertigopal.bsky.social, and me: Chicago has the most lead pipes of any U.S. city... and pays wildly more than anyone else to replace them: ~$31,000 per line, more than 6x the EPA's nat'l est. of $4,700. Officials can't fully explain why. grist.org/accountabili... 1/n

It makes me sad thinking about all of the people who will never experience Chicago in the summertime. They have no idea what they’re missing out on.

This rain in Chicago right now is insane. Basements will flood. Reminder that for every extra 1°C the air is, it can hold 7% more moisture.

Leigh’s tweet reminds me of this PHENOMENAL photo taken by Gerri Whitley at Montrose Point last year. It took my breath away when I first saw it. Such a creative way to highlight Chicago’s motto of Urbs In Horto (city in a garden)

It’s becoming clear to me that if you’re Gen Z and want to buy a home in Chicagoland, you have 3 options: 1. Wait until your empty nester parents die so you can inherit their home + assets 2. Move away from friends & family and accept an hour long commute 3. Make over $200k/year

Propose & workshop your own legislation (bills and ordinances) at our first Lab on Monday, 6/29 in Lakeview RSVP please!

Lakeview coffee news: the upcoming Colectivo on Southport/School now has SIGNAGE

If the city offered $3.3B under wraps and if the opposing “highest and best offer” was $3.5B, the city should pony up $300m to close the deal and be done with it

Seen in Lakeview. NIMBYs are mad about a potential zoning change for a 28 unit building located 2 blocks from a CTA train station. Please call Alderman Lawson and tell him to push for even more than 28 units!

All right, Chicagoland Sustainable Transportation Advocacy Nation, it's your time to shine. 🚲 🚲 🚲 ✊ Tribune: "Bike lanes inspire a lot of passion. We’d like to hear your thoughts. Do you support bike lanes? Or are you opposed?" Submit your letter here: www.chicagotribune.com/2024/01/01/s...

here's what the Chicago Fire Department (which includes EMS) got up to in 2025, according to what they reported to the US Fire Administration/NFIRS a lot of service for EMS; not much for building fires

Chicago River appreciation post

Illinois is rolling back mandatory road tests for drivers from ages 79-86. This is older than the average life expectancy! All of us know people in this age bracket who drive, but shouldn’t. Just a disastrous policy.

More comments on TikTok: “THANK YOU FOR CALLING AND SHARING FEEDBACK!!! my rent has gone up $600 in 2.5 years and i live in a 100 year old building too - YOUVE INSPIRED ME TO CALL MY ALDERMAN” “This is great. Mine raised 300 in one year. I was forced to move out” (1/3)

Some TikTok replies to my video: “I didn’t know this was an option. I have plans for Monday” “adding this to the girls night itinerary” “i literally am going to start calling my alderman. I see more and more single family homes going up after tearing down multifamily units. It makes me so angry.”

Casino construction update

normalize calling your city council member to tell them your rent went up and complain about the lack of housing production

The city needs to do a comprehensive rezoning that increases allowable density everywhere then combos this with a broad set of transit TIFs that funnel capital into building out BRT, bike lanes, and regional rail on Metra. Existing TIFs with unclear mandates should be sunsetted to compensate.

Chicago SHOWED UP to watch people fall over on bikes into Lake Michigan

We don’t talk about this map enough. If you live in an area that’s red, you should 1) call/email your alderman 2) tell them that you’re concerned about housing costs 3) ask them lift the ban on multifamily buildings in your neighborhood by rezoning to minimum of RT-4. @stevevance.net

rookie numbers

The perfect obit headline for this particular climate denier, who knew better but preferred to live a lie heatmap.news/daily/lee-raymond

I love this Tribune editorial from the archives. Imagine if YIMBYs were tweeting back then: “LEGALIZE TILE WALLS! I’m buying way too many tons of coal to keep my four-generation household warm, due to drafty brick walls. Enough with brickmakers’ dark money in city hall!”

I’ve read a lot of reporting on the new attempted parking meter sale, but I don’t recall any explanation for WHY Chicago Parking Meters LLC is trying sell the rights this year. What’s the rationale?

Saw this posted on tiktok yesterday by Alexi Giannoulias. What are the chances we’ll see PCA/Caleb Williams/Rome Odunze at his mayoral run announcement?

So much to love about this “central square” as a community space in the Foundry Park development GET IT BUILT!

A friend just moved out of a 2 bed apartment in Lincoln Park. Their landlord raised the rent from $3,000 to $3,800 💀 I know it’s Lincoln Park, but this housing market is insane. (And the less housing we allow citywide, the more Lincoln Parkers will move west and displace existing renters)

Tomorrow, Ald. Lee is having a town hall which will discuss allowing ADUs. This is a great opportunity for 11th Ward residents to support more homes! 🏘️ Ramova Theatre Wednesday, June 3 6-8 pm

The wooden staircases behind Chicago apartments deserve more recognition.

45% of microplastics polluting waterways comes from tire wear. Photo totally unrelated

We have a request: call your State Senator about the HB5198, the AHPAA Improvement Act. This bill would strengthen our existing statutes, so that low-affordability municipalities have to take real actions to address their shortage of affordable homes.

Healthy communities need: -plenty of housing options (not just McMansions) -plenty of transportation options -trees

Gov. Pritzker: but in a lot of Illinois cities, ADUs aren't allowed #BUILDitup

Illinois regularly has political scandals, but this month we got a BLASPHEMOUS scandal! (Imagine being so addicted to micromanagement that you ignore the POPE when he tells you to help poor people and immigrants, and instead fight statewide affordable housing efforts. That’s what the IML is doing!)

I am declaring a COOL MOONRISE WATCH🌕🚨 in Chicago for the next 4 evenings. Look east over the lake around these times: THU 5/28: 6:08pm FRI 5/29: 7:12pm SAT 5/30 8:15pm*** SUN 5/31: 9:13pm *best timing, closest to sunset. Hopefully the skies stay clear so we can enjoy the blue micromoon!

🚨 WITNESS SLIP ACTION ALERT 🚨 The IL Senate is hearing housing bills at 4pm TODAY. You can show your support by filing a witness slip as a 'proponent' in a 'record of appearance'. Links for: - Yes in God's Backyard - 3rd-Party Inspections and Timelines - Gender-Based Violence Non-Discrimination

Want to support this? File a witness slip as a proponent of this bill, SB0643, by 4pm TODAY! ilga.gov/Senate/heari...

ENOUGH MICROMANAGEMENT! MORE PROPERTY RIGHTS! Fight back against the IML (illinois micromanagement league) and support the BUILD package! BuildForIL.org

Summer evenings in Chicago parks. You just have to experience it for yourself

I think this will be the BUILD fact of the day affordable & attainable housing is allowed only in 19% of Naperville's residential areas the BUILD plan would say ADUs, starter homes, and duplexes would be allowed in the 81%

"To the municipalities that are concerned about losing control of their growth: You have had decades and decades to get your house in order, and your failure to act has directly contributed to today’s housing shortage that negatively affects the entire state."

CTA rail operator count falls to 829, its lowest level in over a year. Flagger hiring has grown in the last couple months, but we're still staring down the consequences of the 6-month dry spell from last August to January. CTA hasn't added a new rail operator in 6 months.

Ask your legislators to pass SB4063 to keep housing permit timelines from hitting *titanic* delays. 🧊🚢 actionnetwork.org/letters/pass...

Belmont Harbor, then and now. Left: old postcard found in an antique store in Iowa. Right: photo that I took this morning.

Confirmed: this was a pleasant evening to go for a walk

Life hack: make homemade Chicago hot dogs with your friends on a lovely afternoon. (Maybe it’s not a life hack, but you should try it anyway.)

Best way for Dems to win back seats in Congress: RAPIDLY destroy barriers to housing construction in blue states. In the arms race of population growth, blue states are letting Texas win 4 extra districts to gerrymander. Time to reverse that trend. You only win if you grow.

New from me: Turns out we can move parking meters en masse w/o violating the terms of a 2008 sale of our meters. The deal's terms are restrictive, loopholes are closed, and city council mismanagement has led to $161M in costs. I have a way to fix that. citythatworks.substack.com/p/lets-move-...