Research Reports

Serving  as a hub for the creation and exchange of knowledge, GCI brings together the resources and intellectual capital of the university and joins it with community stakeholders to produce research that influences public policy to impact the quality of life in the city.  Because GCI’s research is a public good, the Institute is committed to producing and promoting research that is accessible, useful, and responsive to the multi-faceted issues facing the region.

As UIC’s center for engaged urban scholarship, GCI’s goal is to harness our research as a powerful tool to contribute to a more just, equitable and sustainable society.

Cover detail for the 2026 Latino Chicago and the Future of the City report, featuring the report title alongside layered flag-inspired graphics representing Latino communities and the Chicago skyline.

Latino Chicago and the Future of the City

José Miguel Acosta Córdova, Matthew D. Wilson, and David Adrian Segovia | Posted on September 17, 2026

This report examines how Latino Chicago is growing, diversifying, and reshaping the city’s economy, neighborhoods, mobility, and long-term future.

Cover of the Great Cities Institute issue brief Hunkering Down: The Hidden Economic Cost of Federal Immigration Enforcement in Cook County, IL, September 2026, featuring brown and tan curved graphic elements on a white background.

Hunkering Down: Immigration Enforcement’s Economic Cost

Matthew D. Wilson, T. William Lester, and José Miguel Acosta-Córdova | Posted on September 08, 2026

GCI report links heightened immigration enforcement to reduced cross-community travel and $1.26 billion in foregone Cook County commerce.

Close-up of a UIC Great Cities Institute report cover titled “Chicago’s Runaway Development Tool: Who Paid and Who Gained from 40+ Years of Tax Increment Financing?” The image features a map of Chicago with TIF areas highlighted in pink and part of the city skyline along the bottom. The report is dated August 26, 2026.

Chicago’s Tax Increment Financing: Who Paid, Who Gained?

Juan González, Matthew D. Wilson, Teresa Córdova, and Jason "Jay" Campos | Posted on August 26, 2026

This report presents GCI’s analysis of TIF’s effects on public investment, taxpayers, taxing bodies, and economic development across Chicago.

Cover of Raices 2026 report

Raíces 2026: Building Stability to Strengthen Latino Civic Power

Teresa Córdova, PhD., José Acosta Córdova, PhD., Jason “Jay” Campos, Marissa Guadalupe Leal, Margarita Olmos, David Adrian Segovia Angamarca, and Maribel “Mari” Villa | Posted on February 23, 2026

Raíces 2026 highlights Latino economic contributions, enforcement instability, and policies needed to strengthen civic power in Illinois.

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Youth Joblessness and Disconnection, 2019–2023

Matthew D. Wilson, Ph.D. and Jason "Jay" Campos | Posted on May 15, 2025

This data brief reveals stark racial and geographic disparities in youth joblessness and disconnection across Chicago, Cook County, and the U.S.