What’s the Safest Neighborhood in Chicago?
Chicago’s rough streets get all the press. Where do you find the least crime in the city? It’s not in the richest part of town—just the place the most police...
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From the Cotton Belt to the Black Belt: Economic Mobility and the Burden of Southern History
Economic mobility is lower in Chicago than in most major American city; lower in the cotton belt than almost everywhere in America; and they share more economic history than you...
What Starchitects Have Done With Public Transportation
The CTA retires its 2200 El cars today, designed by SOM in 1969 in the International Style of the time. Will the next series reinvent the wheel or, like previous...
Public Housing Should Look Just Like the Rest of the Neighborhood
New development in Chicago's distressed neighborhoods can be a change for the area. But a new study shows that people want housing to match its surroundings.
A Study Finds 'White Malaise' in America, But Why?
It began early in the Bush administration and has continued consistently since, as the boom economy of the mid-2000s briefly and barely improved unemployment and median income.
The Three Big Holes in Chicago's Pension Systems
The city hasn't paid what it's supposed to. The state hasn't paid what it said it would try to. And a declining city payroll means increased city pensions. We're all...
Did America's Homicide Rate Spike Because Mental Hospitals Shut Down?
Violent crime jumps when fewer people are locked up—whether it's in a mental institution, or, more recently, in prison. As America's staggering incarceration rate drops, does anyone have a better...
Chicago's First 100 Years in 10 Maps
Between 1833 and 1933, Chicago grew from a few backwater cabins into a global city. Here's how its massive expansion was mapped out.
What's Wrong With the White Sox?
The team has the worst hitter in baseball, the worst offense in the AL, and what would be one of the worst bullpens—if they ever had a lead to protect.
The Geography of Sexual Assault in Chicago
At least three assaults were reported every day in 2012. Here's a look at the parts of the city with the highest rates.