Staying up to date on Chicago real estate
We began publishing reviews of Chicago's apartment buildings just about a year ago. The blistering pace of development since that time has resulte [...]
Follow YoChicago on Flickr
We've visited virtually every corner of Chicago and its far-flung suburbs, and we've generally take pictures on our travels. The result: our netw [...]
Metro Chicago’s growth is not in its urban core
A US Census report in 2012 (PDF) singled out Chicago as the metro area with the largest numeric increase in "downtown" population between 2000 an [...]
Do street fairs reflect Chicago’s racial divide?
If all you knew about Chicago's demographic and racial mix is what you saw at your local street fair, would you have an accurate picture of Chicag [...]
Is the crisis in the Ukraine improving Realtor spelling?
Ukrainian Village is probably the most commonly misspelled neighborhood name in Chicago. Is that changing as a result of the saturation coverage o [...]
Chicago’s five-year housing plan
Chicago's fifth five-year housing plan was presented to the City Council on Wednesday for approval. According to Chicago Real Estate Daily, the 20 [...]
Happy holidays from YoChicago
Christmas is our hook for being mindful of all of the holidays that Chicagoans celebrate at this time of year. We wish you, before and after the f [...]
Planning Chicago a/k/a incremental opportunism
Planning Chicago, published earlier this year, is a look back at the history of planning in Chicago, with a focus starting in the Mayor Richard J. [...]
Chicago’s most authoritative neighborhood boundary descriptions
If you spend much time searching for real estate in Chicago, or reading about it at local websites, you'll see that confusion over neighborhood bo [...]
YoChicago photos pass 2-million view mark at Flickr
September was a month of milestones for YoChicago's content on other sites.
Early in the month YouTube reported that YoChicago videos in our p [...]
Neighborhood grocery store shakeouts and shakedowns
We've recently looked in on a number of new grocery stores that are underway or proposed – a South Loop Mariano's, a West Loop Mariano's, a West L [...]
A map of Chicago’s no-go zones?
If you're risk-averse, and especially if you have children, the odds are that you'd rather not move to a Chicago neighborhood where gangs have an acti [...]
Chicago’s top five neighborhood blogs
The bad news is that Chicago, despite its 100s of neighborhoods and residents' obsession with them, has a surprisingly small number of active neig [...]
A note on Chicago neighborhood names and boundaries
Chicago has hundreds of neighborhoods. Chicagoans often identify fiercely with their neighborhood, and consider it a part of their identity.
Ne [...]
Reilly Reports a good read, Reilly ego notwithstanding
We have, on occasion, called attention to what we perceived as arrogant behavior on the part of 42nd Ward Alderman Brendan Reilly, and linked to o [...]
Should real estate agents be banned from creating neighborhood names?
There's a fascinating piece on the subject of neighborhood names at Atlantic Cities. The article includes an overwrought view of the power of Real [...]
What can be done to prevent suburban sprawl?
The Urban Land Institute and the National Association of Home Builders have produced a film warning about the dangers of suburban sprawl. The film [...]
The notion of inevitable suburban decline
I've been reading predictions of the imminent demise of the suburbs for nearly 50 years.
The ever-provocative Joel Kotkin, an urban futurist, [...]
Name the nabe with the vintage tack-ons
Decorative urns punctuate the roofline of a newer concrete block building adorned with lion heads, mid-relief plaques, bronze grillwork and glass [...]
Will raising fines deter vacant building break-ins?
Second City Cop comments on Ald. James Balcer's proposal to "deter homeless people, drug addicts, prostitutes, gang members and others from breaki [...]