Blog

Introduction

Keep up to date with the latest blog posts from our staff & GCI collaborators.

Book cover for From Boom to Bubble: How Finance Built the New Chicago, featuring green panels over a stylized high-rise building.

Rachel Weber receives Best Book Award from the Urban Affairs Association

Posted on April 28, 2017

GCI celebrates Rachel Weber’s award-winning urban studies book and highlights UIC presentations at Urban Affairs Association conference in Minneapolis.

Slide showing the number of out-of-work and out-of-school 16- to 24-year-olds as 58,565, based on 2015 American Community Survey data.

Great Cities Institute Research Sparks Further Action

Posted on April 11, 2017

GCI highlights Opportunity Youth joblessness data and Thrive Chicago’s summit aiming to reconnect people to education and employment.

Real Time Chicago lecture series graphic featuring a city skyline background and the text “Spring 2017.”

GCI takes on Social Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship

Posted on March 07, 2017

GCI’s Real Time Chicago series explores social innovation, entrepreneurship, economic development, job creation, and community-based solutions.

Audience members seated at red-covered tables during a public hearing or forum, with speakers and attendees gathered in the room.

Abandoned in their Neighborhoods: Youth Joblessness amidst the Flight of Industry and Opportunity

Posted on February 08, 2017

GCI presents youth joblessness report linking unemployment, racial disparities, neighborhood abandonment, violence, and structural economic change in Chicago.

Explaining School Closures: A Report by Rachel Weber, Stephanie Farmer, and Mary Donoghue

Posted on January 10, 2017

GCI shares research showing Chicago school closures disproportionately affected African American students, highlighting racial inequities in education policy.

A great time was had by all

Posted on November 22, 2016

GCI celebrates 21 years of engaged scholarship, honoring founders, partners, Robert Mier, and emerging Stukel Fellows.

New Great Cities Institute report highlights Household Stressors Tied to Poverty

Posted on November 18, 2016

GCI’s household stress study shows how poverty, service cuts, and overlapping challenges burden Chicago-area families and communities.

Graphic with cursive text reading “Celebrating 21 Years of Impact” on a white background with a blue border.

Great Cities Institute Anniversary Celebration Honors Visionaries of UIC’s Great Cities Initiative

Posted on November 14, 2016

GCI invites supporters to anniversary celebration honoring leaders, Rob Mier, Stukel fellowships, engaged scholars, and report release work.

Workers on scaffolding installing large “H III” letters on a wall for a Habitat III event.

Great Cities Institute attends Habitat III, Taking Place in Quito, Ecuador

Posted on October 18, 2016

GCI attends Habitat III in Quito, highlighting sustainable urban development, inclusive economies, participatory governance, and global urban challenges.

Watercolor painting of a village landscape with red-roofed houses, trees, and hills in the background.

Participatory Planning in Action: Marie Kennedy and Chris Tilly

Posted on October 11, 2016

GCI hosts Marie Kennedy and Chris Tilly to discuss participatory planning, community development, and planning education in Mexico.