The public comment period closed last week, but some Chicagoans are still asking whether South and West side residents actually helped shape the plan.
Budget season has it all: Melodrama, plot twists and a slow jams soundtrack
How are housing cooperatives different from communes and who are they for? These and more common questions about co-ops answered.
From the roots of corruption to the balance of power between our 50 alders (aldermen) and the mayor—plus, why you shouldn’t sleep on committee meetings
We dig into public meetings and government transparency, what’s required by law and what an actual commitment to open government would look like.
Find assistance on home ownership, how to start a co-op and fight for affordable housing in 2022
Find record expungement, housing aid, cash assistance and community healing in 2022
The pandemic made Chicago’s guaranteed income pilot possible—but at the federal level, the push to solve poverty through government-backed income is nearly a century old.
Using $31.5 million of federal relief funds, the city will give $500 a month to 5,000 families. Over 176,000 people applied, making the program more competitive than admission to Harvard University.
Two Chicago mothers speak out about the rising cost-of-living, the struggle of parenting and working during a pandemic, and why more support in the form of cash is needed.
Many formerly incarcerated people struggle to find employment because of the stigma of a criminal record. To help, one organization is offering cash.
One housing complex can’t reverse decades of historical trends — but city officials hope 43 Green can be a model for equitable development.
Tired of city officials’ promises to bring more grocery retailers to their neighborhoods, urban farmers and local organizers aren’t waiting around.
El Milagro was the most high-profile worker-led fight locally, but Authentico and other Chicago-area workers are part of a national wave of worker organizing spurred by the pandemic.
Find development data, legal help and learn from past Community Benefits Agreements campaigns here.
Communities of color have to fight every time a new development threatens. The We Will Chicago plan could change that.
Megadevelopments, environmental rules, logistics facilities and a new citywide plan could upend the way Chicago develops.
Building a broad-based coalition is one of the biggest challenges in creating a strong Community Benefits Agreement.
A Community Benefits Agreement isn’t the only way to get what your community needs from a developer. Here are three alternatives.
Lack of community representation, vague language and lack of follow-up are a few pitfalls to avoid.