Chicagoans - please take a moment to tell the OIG to investigate aldermanic prerogative in housing development Survey closes Dec 31 igchicago.org/2026-annual-...

New from me! Chicago has far too many bus stops to provide efficient service for its riders—nearly twice the national standard. I reimagined what Chicago's bus network could do to make it look like its peers. citythatworks.substack.com/p/a-plan-for...

YES IN MY BACKYARD! www.costar.com/article/7989...

The left needs more influencers who are mostly about other shit. That's what is moving all these young people right -- not "political content," but dumbass lifting videos & bro podcasts where RW politics is casual & taken for granted.

Sunrise skate sessions in the big city. New favorite way to wake up on these cold winter mornings

Still waiting for letters from @usdot.bsky.social threatening to withhold federal funding from highway agencies that fail to keep people safe from crime and crashes, consistent with the letters sent to public transit agencies by USDOT.

My plans tonight would be a perfect use for the 11 bus on Lincoln Avenue. For all of us northside yuppies (and everyone else), please bring it back!!! @chicagocta.bsky.social

Chicago Cultural Center appreciation post

The Chicago Athletic Association put an insane amount of effort into this little Christmas pop up bar over their former pool room. Look at all these details!

someone tell the California ACLU who is disproportionately more likely to be killed in traffic accidents including those involving people under the influence

7am, on Lincoln Park’s North Pond:

literally the aclu:

It’s official: I am endorsing Nick Uniejewski for Illinois State Senate’s 6th district. A big reason why: housing costs are soaring in Chicago, yet Springfield has refused to act quickly enough. Nick is focused on delivering housing affordability and common sense solutions. Vote for Nick on 3/17!

Happy Chicago Marathon Lottery Rejection Day to all who celebrate

To this point, now that the map is official, unfortunately for the 32nd Ward less tape always seems to be cut when it comes to eliminating hurdles to build housing in our ward. That pink 'Zone 8' with all the Waguespack imposed restrictions definitely sticks out. (Map by Steven Vance)

Reminder: bond rating downgrades are a YOUTH TAX. Mayor Johnson and city council should prioritize good bond ratings to ensure fairness for future taxpayers. Every credit agency has told us to align spending with consistent revenue streams. LISTEN TO THEM! chicago.suntimes.com/city-hall/20...

Moving forward, my view of Giannoulias will be formed by his willingness to put seniors, and people who share the road with them, at risk just so he could win some votes from older voters. The 'evidence' he used for this initiative is a masterclass in how to lie with data

Based on Census data for Chicago, around 36% of Chicago households in 1-4 unit buildings have an income under 50k. For 5+ unit buildings, this rate goes up to 42.7%. Their average income is around $9k lower! Why does the mayor want lower income residents to pay more for garbage pickup?

OK, not even done reading and holy moly, Chicago you need to fix this.

IMPORTANT DETAIL HERE: garbage fees are essentially a wealth transfer from apartment residents to homeowners! If you live in an apartment building with 5+ units, you have to pay full price for a private service, and you ALSO SUBSIDIZE 82% OF THE COST of garbage pickup for SFHs + 2-4 unit buildings!

I’ve noticed this too. Rush hour trains have been too full to let people on. I saw crowds of riders left out in the cold waiting for the next train. I was mostly content seeing trains every 10 minutes throughout autumn, but I took it for granted.

7 of my relatives visited the city on Saturday. I knew they were going to take 2 Metra rides + a few CTA trips, so the Regional Day Pass was ideal. The night before, I sent them Metra’s guide to purchasing the pass (and this chart, lol) but they still couldn’t figure it out. It’s so badly designed!

Rich Miller, in just 38 words, exposes a common fallacy embraced by SAFE-T Act Critics

I think everyone saw the hullabaloo about the downtown Christkindlmarket being too crowded…and collectively decided to go to the “less crowded” market in Wrigleyville. And now that one is packed too lol. Chicago just needs more Christmas markets 🗣️

Wintertime Chicago appreciation post

Chicago, we are so back

I’ll say it, Chicago is the de facto moonrise photography capital of the world

Happy 1 year anniversary of the (probably) stupidest moment of my life, when I tried to cross this sheet of ice on a -10°F windchill day to meet a running buddy. BIG MISTAKE. Almost fell into the Great Lakes’ “ice-water mansion” that day. Don’t make the same mistake I did!

Supermoon surf's up 🌝🏄 Montrose Beach

🚨WIKIPEDIA YEAR IN REVIEW HAS DROPPED🚨 The age of Spotify Wrapped is over. The time of #WikipediaYearInReview has come.

I am delighted by the occasional sight of wildlife in the Chicago River, even downtown. It’s a much healthier habitat than it used to be. There’s more work to be done, but I applaud how Chicago has cleaned up its act so far.

the Chicagoan urge to repeatedly photograph the same body of water

Got 'em

Chicago River appreciation post

The solution to the “overcrowded Chriskindlmarket” problem is (and always will be) opening MORE Christmas markets. There are multiple markets scattered around Washington DC. I just went to two that were 1.5 miles apart. Both were crowded, but manageable!

This seems like a much better idea to keep transit riders safe compared to CTA’s chatbot

If my house burned down, my village zoning code says I legally couldn’t rebuild it. If “preserving neighborhood character” means you can’t recreate the existing built environment, it’s not actually about the “character” of the neighborhood

If IL wants to continue being a family-friendly state, we need to prioritize housing affordability ASAP

Of all the major cities in the United States, Chicago provides the greatest value, with robust amenities and culture without correlated housing costs. But if Chicago wants to retain that status, some things need to change. op-ed by me, Stef, and Jasmine (co-leads for @abundanthousingil.bsky.social)

Chicago needs a Chriskindlmarket in every neighborhood next year. One of my cousins is thinking about bringing his kids to the one downtown in a few weeks. I had to break it to him that it’s so crowded that it’s borderline unsafe, and they should go to the Wrigley one or the Field Museum instead

This post blew up on Twitter, mostly because NIMBY/white nationalist accounts dogpiled on it to express their outrage at poor people and minorities. I am exhausted

Time to name and shame the Illinois towns that didn’t submit plans to increase affordable housing: Barrington Hills Campton Hills Elmhurst Inverness Lake Forest Oak Brook Prairie Grove South Barrington Geneva Hawthorn Woods Lily Lake River Forest Third Lake (continued in replies)

This is hilarious

This is a sad state of affairs. This man’s mom claims he has severe mental illness and needs treatment. Instead, he roamed the streets assaulting people and is now going to prison for 7 years. There needs to be a better way to provide help to those who need it, even via institutionalization.

A wonderful fall day in Oz Park yesterday

No more big city mayors who hate big cities.

All my random politically unaware friends are making Trump/Epstein jokes. You know what they haven’t said? “I heard Hakeem Jeffries promise to lower the cost of groceries”

Trump admin Is attempting to massive cut federal transit funds, seeking to: 1–Eliminate transit account, which funds billions of $ in capital expenses for transit agencies 2–Prevent state DOTs from “flexing” funds for transit These changes, if they occurred, would be devastating for US transit.

I still can’t believe that the Pope is from Chicago