I work in the energy efficiency industry and love walkable neighborhoods. Here to stay updated on climate, energy, urbanism, and weather
Chicago
- Tweets 3,975
- Following 992
- Followers 2,395
- Likes 58,133
Pinned Tweet
Housing is more expensive now. There are a few reasons for this.
Here in Chicago, one of those reasons isn’t super obvious—until you go to a community meeting for a local housing proposal. Here’s a thread about the absurdity of housing development in 2024🧵
79
340
3,695
766,196
Love this vehicle. One of the most climate-friendly options on the planet, and it looks dope. Oh and there’s a cybertruck in the picture too
124
552
10,249
276,482
PSA: Chicago Open House is this weekend! It’s a free 2 day event when the general public can explore over 100 cool buildings and spaces across the city for free.
Everyone should check it out! Here is a thread of my highlights from last year ⬇️
14
309
4,369
357,342
Spheres are cool, but my grand vision for Chicago includes massive monolithic statues on either side of the Chicago harbor locks (like the Argonath from Lord of the Rings)
It will inevitably tower over party boats on their way to the Playpen, but still. Imagine
39
136
2,905
149,519
When I was younger, a friend of my parents stayed with my family on a visit to Chicago, and painted this for us as a gift.
It’s my favorite painting of all time. But I don’t think it’s ever been seen by anyone outside of our home! I hope you appreciate it as much as I do.
29
71
2,619
54,078
Short thread about how Chicago uses space on the lakefront.
North Ave beach’s volleyball leagues are unbelievably popular. Let’s do the math:
80 courts, 10 people/team, 2 teams/court, 3 time slots/day…so ~4,800 people per weeknight.
Where do all these yuppies park their cars?
41
129
2,550
455,905
What an upgrade.
After 40 years, is Jerry Reinsdorf finally realizing that it’s a horrible idea to surround your stadium exclusively with parking lots?
Plan Commission approved United Center Joint Venture’s proposed 57-acre PD amendment on the Near West Side, where UC parking lots are planned to be replaced with 9,453 homes, 1,309 hotel rooms, 1.3 million square feet of commercial/retail, parking structures and green spaces.
33
119
2,405
242,378
Airports with the best views as you’re landing: O’Hare and PDX. If you’re flying into either of those, you better get a window seat on the left side of the plane.
Do any other airports come close?
193
52
2,266
158,066
Move to Chicago so you have a romanticized commute instead of dealing with traffic and road rage
29
69
1,981
222,262
Imagine Chicago’s tourism boom if our lakefront prioritized PEOPLE—not cars—all year
159
106
1,878
221,590
Made a generational purchase at the antique store recently. These bookends are normally $250 from the Chicago Art Institute gift shop, but I got them at an absolute steal for $40
33
28
1,929
39,128
Imagine living here and thinking that nobody else should be able to build a high rise in your neighborhood. Total hypocrisy
2
46
1,418
52,077
New Chicago-based rom-com:
-main character is basically Loop Girl
-she takes the L to Lincoln Square
-falls in love with alderman named “Austin Ward” 😂
I’m not a rom-com guy, but as a Chicagoan I am seeing this movie ASAP
Lincoln Square is the star in a new holiday rom-com "Christmas in Chicago."
Local businesses — including Timeless Toys in the square — feature prominently in the to-be-released film by writer/director Mark Nathan. buff.ly/3OZdf2X
16
57
1,328
196,891
Preservation Chicago’s director wants to block 500 homes from being built on some of the most valuable land in the city, in order to protect…
…a gas station
26
50
1,095
124,139
Today I learned that if you launch a nuclear weapon in Chicago, the city code dictates that you could receive a $1000 fine
33
114
959
123,797
Fun fact: if you move to Chicago, you can take a nuclear powered train or bus to work
17
44
901
73,334
I take the train to work every day in Chicago, but it still feels like a vacation whenever I’m in the Loop. Even on a 15° F day!
Train commute > highway commute FOREVER
20
17
878
30,458
The meeting is over. It took over 2 hours, and….THE REZONING WAS APPROVED!
The owner wants to make a 5 story, 40 unit (6 affordable) building near the train. 23 neighbors voted yes, 19 voted no.
But it’s ridiculous that 42 people make decisions on behalf of 9,000.
SOUTH LAKEVIEW RESIDENTS: please show up to the public meeting on Wednesday at 7pm to support 40 new homes (15% affordable units)!
Here is my TikTok explanation of this meeting’s significance:
26
45
885
53,344
IL is considering implementing “innovative housing solutions” including:
-eliminating bans on ADUs
-turning parking minimums into parking maximums (!) in multifamily zones
-requiring any lot over 5,000 sq ft to allow for multi-unit development
New: Governor Pritzker is announcing an executive order to increase housing supply! He mentioned excessive red tape as a barrier to sufficient housing production!
This is huge. More details to come.
8
56
798
59,444
A golden rule that more people need to be aware of:
If your city is hosting a “community engagement meeting” and over 50% of the room has grey hair…they’re not actually engaging with the community.
They’re just allowing grumpy retirees to shoot down whatever is being proposed.
I took this photo a moment too late. The moderator asked who opposed high rises, Almost 80% of the meeting raised their hands.
37
62
680
28,899
To make housing more affordable, we need to make it easier to build. The city should not continue allowing the fate of 200 homes to be decided by whichever random retirees are able to show up to a neighborhood meeting on a Tuesday at 6:30pm.
3
36
646
23,115
The @cta has improved their train service a lot. Last month was the first time in YEARS that they averaged over 2,000 train runs per day.
There’s still room for improvement, but they deserve credit for their effort so far 👍🏻
16
25
564
26,359
🚨🌕 I’m declaring a COOL MOONRISE WATCH for Chicago tonight!
Thanks to (mostly) clear skies and favorable sunset/moonrise times, you may get an opportunity to witness a similar scene to these photos taken by @JoshuaMellin in 2021. Look southeast at 8:28 PM!
More info below ⬇️
10
48
585
31,155
On a related note, the department of transportation wants to double down on an oversized highway separating Chicago residents from the lakefront. Thankfully, city council disagrees:
2
13
481
57,389
Lake Shore Drive is a waste of space and money—time to redesign it. (Good thing there was a deadly fixed object here to protect families walking/biking on the lake today)
29
17
453
59,025
Imagine how Chicago built apartments in the 1800s. Get the bank’s approval, maybe a permit, a construction plan, and then boom. New housing.
Now, we have this process:
1
31
487
27,294
Free advice for the next CTA president:
Ride the train/bus at least once per week (bare minimum)
NEWS: Dorval Carter is leaving the CTA, he announced in a meeting this morning. @chicagotribune story to come
6
30
508
18,608
idk, I think it would be a real shame if people started printing these out and posting them around CTA train/bus stops
5
55
455
41,999
If everyone drove and gave a ride to another teammate, it would require roughly 20x the capacity of the existing parking lot.
Which seems like basically the size of the entire beach.
2
12
455
33,991
“So where are you going to drive your new Apocalypse six-wheeler that cost over $100k? Off-roading in the desert? The arctic circle? An active war zone?”
“Nah, the Party City in Lincoln Park“
15
28
433
22,946
Chicago deserves better than the service CTA is delivering. Anyone in power who thinks this is fine is doing a massive disservice to their constituents
8
30
430
27,784
Aldermanic prerogative is problematic, to say the least. It’s even attracted the attention of the feds, who alleged in 2023 that it enabled discrimination and housing segregation.
However, aldermen still have this veto power today.
chicago.suntimes.com/city-ha…
3
13
419
45,024
All that to say, Chicago’s process to approve housing is broken. And until we fix it, we’ll be hemorrhaging residents while everyone else gets stuck with higher taxes.
1
13
428
25,929
The local alderman wanted to hear “community input” on the building proposal, and hosted meetings for over 3 years. I went to one of them in May and took this picture.
What do you notice about the attendees?
29
22
431
37,731
But once you see the extent of work put into these buildings, the price makes sense.
If you have to proactively design a building to please 90% of neighbors, it requires an unreal amount of work and attention to detail. And nobody is going to do that work for free.
2
12
414
24,928
Background: Chicago has 50 city council members called alderman, each of whom represents a ward. They have the ability to shoot down some building proposals they (or their voters) don’t like.
This practice is called aldermanic prerogative. Think of it as a local veto.
1
5
391
46,316
Aldermanic prerogative is likely discriminatory, sure. But why does it make housing more expensive in general?
Long story short: building designers have to please everyone, including the crankiest, most unreasonable neighbors.
1
7
384
39,696
Lots of people are worried about “Big Government” but we need more people concerned about “Way Too Many Governments”
(Fantastic article by @rap30 and @RayLong)
Chicago is notorious for graft, but corruption in Illinois knows no partisan or geographic bounds. That’s in part because the state has thousands of local governments, making it difficult for both authorities and citizens to hold their leaders accountable. trib.al/RaVrw6b
9
29
381
25,063
Here’s the problem: even if a building is perfect, there will always be cranky neighbors who complain to the alderman. They’re like the 1 out of 10 dentists who won’t approve of a toothpaste brand.
If you don’t believe me, read about how the Eiffel Tower faced opposition.
A petition by NIMBYs in 1887 against the Eiffel Tower sounds a lot like contemporary arguments against projects. Had opponents succeeded, nobody today would realize what had been lost. The cost of NIMBYism is in what is not built.
1
13
390
58,165
This jug of chocolate milk has been festering on the Belmont brown line tracks for at least a week or two now. What are the odds it outlasts embattled CTA president Dorval Carter?
6
20
365
89,378
They went into a ridiculous level of detail that rivaled the infamous 2008 Pepsi logo rebrand analysis (you know, the one where they go into the “gravitational pull of Pepsi”)
1
9
380
26,175
Still thinking about those atrocious stats so I made a chart. CTA’s ineffectiveness should be more widely known and condemned
@ctaaction @FireDorvalC
This is basically the only information you need to form an opinion on Chicago leadership’s CTA management
(Hint: you should strongly disapprove of their performance)
7
72
359
66,699
Last night, I went to a meeting about 925 W Belmont. It was, no joke, the EIGHTH meeting to get community feedback for the building. The alderman’s staff and the building developers have spent over 8 months in this stage of the process.
1
10
373
54,181
After that, they showcase their “sun hours analysis” (!)
In previous meetings, neighbors complained about shadows. So the developers had to take the time to calculate exact positioning of the sun on the winter solstice to quell neighborhood concerns.
4
8
372
27,941
Madison, Wisconsin is about to redesign one of their many waterfront areas. I happened to be in town yesterday, so I stopped by to run around and observe.
As a curious visitor, there was a lot more to it than I expected. Quick thread! (Photo from @TheSamLi)
ALT Photo of the west side of Lake Monona in Madison, Wisconsin, with a street heading into downtown.
3
19
343
79,041
Allow me to introduce 925 W Belmont, a new proposal with 200 new homes.
It’s a good building. If approved, it will replace an old 2 story building. There will be ground floor retail space for local businesses like Ann Sather’s (local brunch restaurant).
5
6
363
40,496
This went on, and on, and on.
They talked about how they’ll:
-mitigate bird strikes
-chose glass that will only be 11% reflective
-plan move-in and move-out dates down to the hour
And so much more.
4
4
344
26,147
Here’s a slide showing the elevation perspective. Some neighbors don’t want the “character” of the block to be disrupted, so the designers explain how the masonry blends in with neighboring buildings, while the higher glass blends in with the sky.
2
4
322
27,742
Lincoln Park NIMBYs: “this building will destroy the neighborhood character!”
meanwhile, the neighborhood:
Want to see this important project get built? Send a letter today.
actionnetwork.org/letters/te…
9
16
317
33,325
It checks off most boxes from what you would expect out of a new building. It’s on the same block as a train station with 3 lines, so traffic is not a huge concern since most tenants wouldn’t need a car (only 18% of existing neighbors commute by car).
1
5
304
35,193
This was a real comment from a meeting last night about a proposed apartment building in Chicago. It’s now been seeking community approval for FOUR YEARS. This is why your rent is going up.
(Go to your neighborhood association meetings, people. Especially if you’re a renter!)
Hey everyone.
Just wanted to let you know that the Fern Hill proposal in Old Town, Chicago is going to ruin the neighborhood's 100% low rise character.
There's no high rises in the area as you can see in the picture.
5
18
320
22,422
From this morning’s opinion piece against speeding cameras by @PaulVallas…I don’t think he knows what “law-abiding” means. By definition, if someone exceeds the speed limit, they are not abiding by the law.
There’s a simple way to avoid fines: don’t speed or run red lights! 👍🏻
23
23
277
51,821
Chicago wants to lure remote workers by “using influencers to hype the new coworking spaces.”
My more effective idea: allow this 500 unit apartment to get built. It’s in walking distance of:
-train station
-vibrant entertainment district
-lakefront beach
-park with a free zoo
Chicago is now betting that the summer — when most Americans are eager to escape the office — will be the moment for more people to come back. trib.al/tUngCyH via @citylab
4
8
273
11,715
Can confirm that spending time around Giddings Plaza in Lincoln Square is a radicalizing experience.
Everyone loves hanging around public squares. Restaurants next to them are 3x as busy as restaurants down the block. Crazy that we don’t have more pedestrianized spaces like this
"Lincoln Square is poppin'!" overheard from a passerby on the phone. That it is!
Here's Joints Creek rocking it at Giddings Plaza, enjoyed with a slice of quiche from Cafe Selmarie and some friendly faces in the Square.
It's a beautiful day in Chicago!
10
14
254
24,492
I will give credit to @lawsonfor44 for framing the meeting as more of a “here’s the design and why you shouldn’t be worried about it” presentation, instead of another solicitation for complaints. It was helpful to center the benefits of the building!
3
9
253
17,994
Just saw this painting in Chicago City Hall for the first time. Sensational, awe-inspiring, 10/10. I want one
6
13
257
13,808
Reminder that the primary reason why Chicago has so many lead pipes is because the plumbers union was greedy.
By the 80s, most cities already banned lead pipes. In Chicago, lead pipes were not just allowed—they were REQUIRED. And now we’re paying the price.
Chicago must replace every toxic lead pipe connecting homes to water mains within two decades — an aggressive deadline imposed this week by President Biden after his administration initially proposed giving city officials twice as long. trib.al/C2OGoeS
9
29
244
26,181
The rents on this building were predictably high. Around $1,800-$2,000 for a studio/single bedroom, not including the affordable units set aside for residents making 60% area median income.
2
4
254
25,932
Chicago’s land use policies are backwards. This building is being torn down for…another 4-story building. A block east, a massive parking lot takes up valuable space next to a train stop.
No way we’ll meet our housing affordability/climate goals without shifting our priorities.
Historic 152-year-old River North building 'slips through the cracks,' faces imminent demolition chicagotribune.com/2024/04/1…
12
22
225
18,871
Due to marathon road closures, everything was quieter. I could hear birds chirping, a fountain splashing, & music echo from the race course a couple blocks west.
On a normal day, that all would be drowned out by engines, honks, tires, etc.
Cities aren’t loud, cars are loud
12
219
17,603
A dude got mad at me for riding my bike in a crosswalk this evening. He screamed “we make all these bike lanes and you guys don’t even use them?!” plus some other angry words
The bike lane in question:
12
14
228
10,512
It’s 8:30pm on this chilly Wednesday in Chicago, and my local bar is bustling. 9 bikes parked outside with more across the street
Think of how much society would benefit if neighborhood taverns were more common:
📉drunk driving
📈social interaction
📈local business revenue
11
8
229
17,574
This is a fantastic quote from @senpetersil
State and city transportation officials have a ~$4B plan to overhaul North DLSD. But lawmakers and advocates say the project needs to do far more than rebuild the current “lakefront highway” and want Mayor Johnson and Gov Pritzker to halt the project @wttw news.wttw.com/2024/08/08/tra…
2
31
214
9,093
But that’s not enough. The developers have listened to complaints in the last 7 meetings, so they want to make sure every base is covered.
Midway through their presentation, they pivot. They show proof that they’ve done their homework.
1
3
230
27,201
At the very least, Mayor Brandon Johnson has released a proposal for streamlining development processes. It’s a good start, but there’s plenty of work to do.
Plan: chicago.gov/city/en/depts/ma…
Analysis by @stevevance: stevencanplan.com/2024/04/th…
2
9
233
20,453
One of the biggest problems with American housing policy is that new buildings are effectively approved or denied by whichever neighborhood retirees can show up to Tuesday night meetings.
Is this de facto gerontocracy fair to the 2/3rds of the neighborhood under 50 years old?
“Gardiner asked residents to raise their hands if they supported the project. Only 3 of the 70 attendees did. ‘I fully understand what the pulse is. We’re not going to be in favor of this,’ Gardiner said after the vote.”
Chicago housing policy, folks! 🫠
blockclubchicago.org/2024/03…
3
41
218
8,489
In summary: sure, the lakefront could be designed better. But it’s still a wonderful place.
Go out and enjoy it!
1
3
223
17,270
Don’t settle for a soulless highway commute.
Move to Chicago. Be filled with wonder and awe. Find inspiration in concrete canyons built by generations of hardworking visionaries. Be humbled by humanity, as you watch strangers of all kinds go about their days.
Move to Chicago.
4
5
228
16,802
Rowhouses and courtyard apartments like this should be legal to build in every neighborhood in the United States
6
7
208
9,677
Found this mini snowplow/salter preparing the Clybourn bike lane for the upcoming winter storm
Keep up the good work little guy!
13
13
212
27,714
Gov. Pritzker is meeting with Texas Dems to fight gerrymandering. But if he cares about Dem influence in Congress, he should focus on the bigger issue: red states growing while blue states shrink.
Redistrict all you want, but if we’re not building more housing, IL will lose.
Gov. Pritzker is meeting with Texas Democratic state lawmakers today in Chicago to discuss plans by Lone Star State Republicans to redraw district lines mid-decade. 👀
16
17
247
9,818
They talked about the design. Floor plans. Changes to the height. Normal stuff so far.
1
3
216
28,073
There’s a been lot of activity on the topic lately, including a new proposal for Oak Street beach:
chicagoyimby.com/2024/07/676…
1
3
205
23,291
New: Governor Pritzker is announcing an executive order to increase housing supply! He mentioned excessive red tape as a barrier to sufficient housing production!
This is huge. More details to come.
Governor Pritzker announces new housing initiatives nitter.app/i/broadcasts/1MYxNMPVV…
3
11
216
74,599
If the city needs more revenue, their #1 priority should be allowing more people to live here.
When the # of taxpayers shrinks, the rest get squeezed. We have plenty of room (yes, even in dense, wealthier neighborhoods). Build more housing.
New revenue ideas and tax proposals on the table for Chicago City Council debate
fox32chicago.com/video/14763…
17
18
179
26,180
The dumbest iteration of this that I’ve seen was in February for the @F3Events half marathon. (thread about LFT/DLSD below)
First, the organizers used an unmarked Toyota Sequoia with heavy (potentially illegal?) window tint as a race vehicle, driving back and forth on the LFT
2
7
190
42,208
Please tap this link ASAP. This is a huge deal to me.
I live in a coach house (like the one pictured) that is illegal to build now. It fits my 3 roommates and I for a reasonable price in a walkable neighborhood. It’s great, but OUTLAWED!
These bills would fix that statewide!
ALT Picture of a house behind a house with red text saying “ILLEGAL” and a sad face
🚨 HOUSING ALERT 🚨
Today, the IL House's Housing Committee didn't give our ADU and Missing Middle bills a hearing 😱
If they aren't given a hearing before Friday, these bills could be dead for the year 😨
Please send a letter to support new homes 🏘️
actionnetwork.org/letters/we…
8
13
212
13,233
There are zero good arguments against speed cameras and red light cameras. Illinois and Chicago should have more of them. They save lives/money, deter crime, and reduce racial profiling.
Great piece from @capitolfax:
In which I try to defend an expansion of a wildly unpopular policy dlvr.it/TFchfm
19
16
169
15,535
I’ll leave the thread here for now, but if you do care about housing/zoning reform in Chicago, please check out @UrbanEnviroIL!
11
3
178
16,146
SOUTH LAKEVIEW RESIDENTS: please show up to the public meeting on Wednesday at 7pm to support 40 new homes (15% affordable units)!
Here is my TikTok explanation of this meeting’s significance:
Here is the flyer that the neighborhood busybodies are circulating about the new apartment they’re planning to vote against on Wednesday. Can anyone imagine the horror of a 5 STORY APARTMENT BUILDING on our streets?!?
Oh wait, there’s one right here and it’s lovely.
9
16
190
67,892
This proposed tower is the quintessential NIMBY battleground in Chicago.
It’s a great building with much to offer in a dense, popular lakefront area. Unfortunately, cranky neighbors are empowered to stall progress for 2+ years for purely frivolous reasons.
Sign the petition.⬇️
6
16
151
14,101
