“At a time when many homeowners are reeling from skyrocketing property taxes, and money is tight for so many families, people should absolutely be able to know how and where the over $400 million collected by TIFs is being spent.”
– Rep. John Fritchey (11th District), on a proposal that would provide taxpayers with detailed information about how TIF money is collected and spent. Cook County Commissioner Mike Quigley has pursued similar TIF reform over the years.
somewhat off-topic but this blog seemed close enough:
http://www.chicagopublicradio.org/Content.aspx?audioID=18426
Chicago’s Zoning History
Urban development hasn’t always happened with such deliberate planning. If you lived in Chicago a hundred years ago, your house might be next to a smoke-belching factory. Then in the 1920s, along came a concept called zoning. It became the city’s primary tool for regulating everything from where industry could locate, to—these days—how many condos can go up on your street.
Professor Joseph Schwieterman of DePaul University has co-authored a book called The Politics of Place: A History of Zoning in Chicago. It may not sound like a pot-boiler, but Schwieterman says the story is actually full of twists and turns, and explains a lot about what makes Chicago Chicago.
Thanks Carter… this sound like a book I’d like to read. I’m building my “Chicago” wing of the library.
I believe this was published by Lake Claremont Press, a boutique company specializing in off-the-beaten-path histories of the Chicagoland area. If you can’t find it in the book stores you can buy it directly from their location or web site.
Quigley has often been the only voice in the wilderness on this issue – his proposals deserve another hearing.