A 10-year fight to raise the minimum wage has slashed the Black-White wealth gap in half in some states. The South still has a long way to go.

Associate Director, Matthew Wilson, assisted with a research report on the fight to raise minimum wage. Authors Juliana Kaplan and Madison Hoff  write about the report in their Business Insider article: “The biggest finding is the equity impact of the fight for 15 raises,” Yannet Lathrop, a senior researcher and policy analyst […]

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South Chicago Set To Get Raised Bike Lanes, Markers Honoring History To Make Streets ‘Vibrant And Accessible,’ Leaders Say

Great Cities is featured in another Block Club Chicago article! The project has its roots in a community revitalization plan led by Special Service Area No. 5 and the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Great Cities Institute, Ald. Susan Sadlowski Garza (10th) said. Neighbors identified a need for “a more pedestrian- and cyclist-friendly […]

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Chicago’s Decades of Segregation Feed South and West Side Hardships

Authors Shruti Singh and Isis Almeida discuss issues caused by historical segregation in their Bloomberg article. Great Cities Institute’s Matt Wilson is interviewed and highlights the economic inequalities in Chicago. Many of these same neighborhoods continue to face the highest levels of joblessness, poverty and inadequate housing, according to a study by […]

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During Second Consecutive Year of Significant Gap Reduction, City of Chicago Projects $127.9 Million Shortfall In 2023 Fiscal Year Budget

The City of Chicago Mayor’s Press Office discussed the 2023 Budget Forecast in its recent press release. The article highlights a budget gap and how the city’s Office of Budget and Management is working to find savings and efficiencies to reduce this gap. The budget, along with the 2023 Responsive […]

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The dubious value of ‘value capture’ financing

New York Governor Kathy Hochul speaking at a press conference announcing the expansion of Penn Station at the Moynihan Train Hall, Manhattan, New York, Thursday, June 9, 2022.

In a co-authored New York Daily News op-ed, Rachel Weber, UIC professor of urban planning and policy and a faculty fellow with the UIC Great Cities Institute, writes about New York City’s proposed Penn Station redevelopment and the project’s financing structure that is similar to the one used for the nearby Hudson […]

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