Pedal Powered: Bike Sharing and Safety in the City

Biking in the city has never been easier or more accessible! In this seminar you’ll hear from Sean Wiedel of the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) on bike lanes and other bike infrastructure along with legislative changes that the City of Chicago has instituted to making cycling safer than ever. Sean will also discuss the City’s exciting new Divvy bike share program that is revolutionizing transit in Chicago.

Sean Wiedel is an Assistant Commissioner at the Chicago Department of Transportation where he oversees the Citywide Services section. Citywide services include the Divvy bike share program, bike safety education initiatives (such as the Bicycling Ambassadors) along with travel demand management and alternative fuels deployment programs.

Sean also provides leadership to City of Chicago sustainability programs including Greencorps Chicago job training, Chicago Center for Green Technology, Chicago Conservation Corps leadership training, and the Sustainable Backyards green infrastructure rebate programs. Prior to joining CDOT, Sean was Assistant Commissioner of Natural Resources and Water Quality at the Chicago Department of Environment (CDOE).

Freight Hub of the United States: Sustaining Metropolitan Chicago’s Role in the 21st Century

GCI Real Time Chicago Lecture Series

“Freight Hub of the United States: Sustaining Metropolitan Chicago’s Role in the 21st Century”

Randy Blankenhorn
Executive Director
Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP)

Tuesday, October 15, 2013
3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Great Cities Institute
412 South Peoria Street
Suite 400, 4th Floor
Chicago, IL 60607

Over a quarter of all freight in the U.S. moves through the Chicago region, making it the nation’s main freight hub. Freight is a cornerstone of the regional economy, and over 25 percent of all the region’s jobs are in industries directly tied to this sector. Moreover, demand for freight is expected to double in the next 20 years.

In last fall’s Real Time Chicago lecture series, Randy Blankenhorn spoke of the importance of creating a more efficient freight network in the Chicago region to maintain this competitive advantage, as recommended by the GO TO 2040 comprehensive regional plan. This talk will focus on progress that has been made over the past year to support freight, including analysis of the freight cluster’s central importance to local manufacturing, as well as the creation of a new Regional Freight Leadership Task Force.

Randy Blankenhorn is executive director of the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP). Under his leadership, CMAP developed and is now guiding the implementation of GO TO 2040, metropolitan Chicago’s first comprehensive regional plan in more than 100 years. The plan’s four themes — Livable Communities, Human Capital, Efficient Governance, and Regional Mobility — address the fundamental challenges that shape residents’ daily lives. Randy and CMAP staff work closely with seven counties, 284 municipalities, and scores of stakeholder groups to implement the plan’s strategies for aligning public policies and investments. Prior to joining CMAP in 2006, Randy was Bureau Chief of Urban Program Planning for the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), coordinating activities of the 14 metropolitan planning organizations across Illinois.

To request disability accomodations, please contact Christiana Kinder, Great Cities Institute, (312) 996-8700, christia@uic.edu

Categories:

Special Event: Troy Duster

Duster

“The Arc that Bends Toward Justice Requires and Accelerator: Engaged Learning as the Bridge to Civic Engagement”

“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” This famous quotation—a Martin Luther King Jr. paraphrase of Theodore Parker—evokes one of the most inspiring images in the history of ideas and has provided a ray of hope during periods of setback in various struggles to achieve a more just society. Yet, it can also convey a sense of inevitability that may generate passivity about long-term outcomes, impeding civic engagement. Frederick Douglass’s authoritative articulation of politics offers a more engaged—and more realistic—vision of the struggle for justice. “Power concedes nothing without demand,” he said; “it never did, and it never will.”  While civic engagement is the fundamental element of democracy, our colleges and universities are ill-equipped and neither motivated nor rewarded for preparing students for such engagement.  We know that students learn best not by rote acquisition of texts – but when they are “engaged” in the process of acquiring knowledge.  And here lies a potential bridge to civic engagement – not the teaching of “civics courses” – but the demonstration of engaged learning.  Examples abound, from the Innocence Project to Edible Education.

Troy Duster is Chancellor’s Professor at the Warren Institute on Law and Social Policy, University of California, Berkeley – and he is Emeritus Silver Professor of Sociology, New York University.  He is the past-president of the American Sociological Association (2004-05), and served as chair of the Board of Directors of the Association of American Colleges and Universities (2003-04).  From 1996-98, he served as member and then chair of the joint National Institutes of Health/Department of Energy advisory committee on Ethical, Legal and Social Issues in the Human Genome Project.  He is a member of the Research Advisory Committee of the Innocence Project.  Research interests include the social and political implications of developments in human molecular genetics.

His relevant books and monographs include Cultural Perspectives on Biological Knowledge (co-edited with Karen Garrett) and Backdoor to Eugenics, (2nd ed, 2003). Recent publications include, “Ancestry Testing and DNA: Uses, Limits—and Caveat Emptor,” in S. Krimsky and K. Sloan, eds., Race and the Genetic Revolution: Science, Myth and Culture, New York: Columbia U. Press, 2010; “The Visions and Divisions of American Sociology,” with Craig Calhoun and Jonathan Van Antwerpen, The ISA Handbook on Diverse Sociological Traditions (2009); and the American Sociological Association presidential address: “Comparative Perspectives and Competing Explanations: Taking on the Newly Configured Reductionist Challenge to Sociology,” American Sociological Review, 2006, 71 (February:1-15).

To request disability accommodations, please contact Christiana Kinder, Great Cities Institute, (312) 996-8700, christia@uic.edu

PDF Flyer »

Video from the event »

Categories:

Engaged Learning as the Bridge to Civic Engagement – Troy Duster

Troy Duster – The Arc that Bends Toward Justice Requires an Accelerator: Engaged Learning as the Bridge to Civic Engagement

“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” This famous quotation—a Martin Luther King Jr. paraphrase of Theodore Parker—evokes one of the most inspiring images in the history of ideas and has provided a ray of hope during periods of setback in various struggles to achieve a more just society. Yet, it can also convey a sense of inevitability that may generate passivity about long-term outcomes, impeding civic engagement. Frederick Douglass’s authoritative articulation of politics offers a more engaged—and more realistic—vision of the struggle for justice. “Power concedes nothing without demand,” he said; “it never did, and it never will.”  While civic engagement is the fundamental element of democracy, our colleges and universities are ill-equipped and neither motivated nor rewarded for preparing students for such engagement.  We know that students learn best not by rote acquisition of texts – but when they are “engaged” in the process of acquiring knowledge.  And here lies a potential bridge to civic engagement – not the teaching of “civics courses” – but the demonstration of engaged learning.  Examples abound, from the Innocence Project to Edible Education. Video from October 10, 2013.

Troy Duster is Chancellor’s Professor at the Warren Institute on Law and Social Policy, University of California, Berkeley – and he is Emeritus Silver Professor of Sociology, New York University.  He is the past-president of the American Sociological Association (2004-05), and served as chair of the Board of Directors of the Association of American Colleges and Universities (2003-04).  From 1996-98, he served as member and then chair of the joint National Institutes of Health/Department of Energy advisory committee on Ethical, Legal and Social Issues in the Human Genome Project.  He is a member of the Research Advisory Committee of the Innocence Project.  Research interests include the social and political implications of developments in human molecular genetics.

His relevant books and monographs include Cultural Perspectives on Biological Knowledge (co-edited with Karen Garrett) andBackdoor to Eugenics, (2nd ed, 2003). Recent publications include, “Ancestry Testing and DNA: Uses, Limits—and Caveat Emptor,” in S. Krimsky and K. Sloan, eds., Race and the Genetic Revolution: Science, Myth and Culture, New York: Columbia U. Press, 2010; “The Visions and Divisions of American Sociology,” with Craig Calhoun and Jonathan Van Antwerpen, The ISA Handbook on Diverse Sociological Traditions (2009); and the American Sociological Association presidential address: “Comparative Perspectives and Competing Explanations: Taking on the Newly Configured Reductionist Challenge to Sociology,” American Sociological Review, 2006, 71 (February:1-15).

Pedal Powered: Bike Sharing & Safety in the City

Real Time Chicago: Metropolitan Planning & Governance
Fall 2013 Lecture Series

“Pedal Powered: Bike Sharing & Safety in the City”

Sean Wiedel
Assistant Commissioner
CDOT

Tuesday, September 24
3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
412 South Peoria
Suite 400, 4th Floor

Biking in the city has never been easier or more accessible! In this seminar you’ll hear from Sean Wiedel of the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) on bike lanes and other bike infrastructure along with legislative changes that the City of Chicago has instituted to making cycling safer than ever. Sean will also discuss the City’s exciting new Divvy bike share program that is revolutionizing transit in Chicago.

Sean Wiedel is an Assistant Commissioner at the Chicago Department of Transportation where he oversees the Citywide Services section. Citywide services include the Divvy bike share program, bike safety education initiatives (such as the Bicycling Ambassadors) along with travel demand management and alternative fuels deployment programs.

Sean also provides leadership to City of Chicago sustainability programs including Greencorps Chicago job training, Chicago Center for Green Technology, Chicago Conservation Corps leadership training, and the Sustainable Backyards green infrastructure rebate programs. Prior to joining CDOT, Sean was Assistant Commissioner of Natural Resources and Water Quality at the Chicago Department of Environment (CDOE).

To request disability accommodations, please contact Christiana Kinder, Great Cities Institute, (312) 996-8700, christia@uic.edu

Categories:

While unemployment numbers remain high, manufacturers can’t fill jobs

Bob Karp | Daily Record Staff Photographer

Bob Karp | Daily Record Staff Photographer

In an article on the need to revitalize U.S. manufacturing, the Morris County (NJ) Daily Record quotes Howard Wial, director of the Center for Urban Economic Development, as saying that the long decline has left some manufacturers unaccustomed to hiring and unsure about how to recruit workers with the updated skills they need.

Last month, as 11.5 million Americans remained unemployed, manufacturing companies looked in vain for people to fill 600,000 jobs. The problem: They can’t find employees who can work their machines.

“The No. 1 point of concern among manufacturers that we visit and assess is the inability to find skilled labor,” said Eric Aerts, Morris area account manager for the New Jersey Manufacturing Extension Program. “There’s a tendency to look down on manufacturing jobs, which is a throwback to a time when a person might stand on a production line and just turn a bolt the same way all day long.”

Full Story from Daily Record »

NY Times Editorial: A Brighter Line on Immigration Policing

© 2010 Jens Schott Knudsen | blog.pamhule.com | Twitter @jensschott

© 2010 Jens Schott Knudsen | blog.pamhule.com | Twitter @jensschott

A New York Times editorial cites a study led by Nik Theodore, professor of urban planning and policy and GCI Fellow, that found that some Latinos are reluctant to report crimes to the police for fear of exposing their undocumented status.

Should the local police and sheriff’s deputies be doing more to help the federal government enforce civil immigration laws? For years the disturbing answer from the Obama administration and hard-line states like Arizona has been: absolutely. Each has tried in its own way to expand the role of local law enforcement in catching unauthorized immigrants and feeding the deportation pipeline.

But states and cities are rejecting the blurring of a once-bright line that separated local cops and federal immigration agents. They recognize that a broken immigration system has stranded many people outside the law, but know that many have lived here for years, with clean records and citizen children, and would be on track to become Americans if the legislation now stalled in Congress ever passes. Deporting millions of harmless people — current taxpayers, future citizens — is a misguided mission for the nation. For the local police, it’s a costly and dangerous diversion from their main job: preventing crime and catching criminals.

Full Story from New York Times »

PB Chicago receives support from Chicago Community Trust

PB Chicago receives support from Chicago Community Trust

We are pleased to announce that the Chicago Community Trust has renewed their support for the Participatory Budgeting Chicago initiative for the 2013-2014 cycle. Generous seed funding from the Chicago Community Trust was instrumental in the multi-ward 2012-2013 pilot year, which engaged a diverse cross-section of the Chicago community. The continuation grant of $25,000 will be used to deepen the initiative’s reach and expand to an additional ward (Alderman Munoz’s 22nd Ward; Little Village) —and increase our efforts to engage low-income people of color.

Chicago residents demonstrated incredible enthusiasm and commitment during this past year’s PB process. In the next year, we will build on this strong foundation to grow PB within the existing wards and expand it throughout the city. The Great Cities Institute is grateful for the generous support of the Chicago Community Trust and we look forward to another successful year for PB Chicago.

Andy Clarno

Over the last twenty years, the landscapes of cities throughout the world have been transformed by the construction of walled enclosures. What explains the proliferation of these 21st-century separation walls? Scholar Andy Clarno, assistant professor of Sociology and African American Studies, attempts to answer this question through an analysis of walled enclosures in Johannesburg and Jerusalem.  In Johannesburg, the South African elite surround their homes with brick walls and electric fences and put gates around their neighborhoods. Dr. Clarno’s research brings together the tools of comparative urban ethnography and comparative historical sociology. His research focuses on: the relationship between neoliberal restructuring and the political transitions in each state, the growth of marginalized populations, the politics of security, and the production of walled enclosures.

Faculty Profile »
Policing Precariousness in South Africa and Palestine/Israel »
The Dynamics of Security Coordination in the West Bank – Middle East Research and Information Project »

Security on new school routes still in flux, with just weeks to go

8-12-13hagedornnews

John Hagedorn, UIC professor of criminology, law and justice, is quoted in a Chicago Tribune article on the Chicago Public Schools’ Safe Passage program to provide security for children going to new schools. John was a GCI Faculty Scholar 2012-13.

Less than three weeks before classes start, key elements of Chicago Public Schools’ Safe Passage program to provide security for children going to new schools remain incomplete.

District officials say plans are on track to smoothly shift students from 47 schools being closed this year to nearby schools and that the routes students will take beginning Aug. 26 have been drawn up and vetted by police.

But Safe Passage routes have not been released to parents. Several vendors hired to carry out the Safe Passage program said they have not received maps of the streets they will be patrolling. Also, a full complement of workers is not yet in place, with many in line for jobs awaiting background checks.

Full Story from Chicago Tribune »