(WTTW News)
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With CTA, Metra and Pace expected to have a combined $730 million budget deficit starting in 2026, state lawmakers passed a measure charging the regional planning agency CMAP to think big and come up with a plan.

(WTTW News)

Unprecedented regional coordination, $1.5 billion in new annual funding and a push to transform service and draw in more riders than ever. Those are just some of the ambitious ideas up for debate as part of an effort to create a bold new vision for public transit in the Chicago area.

A southbound CTA Red Line train is pictured in a file photo. (WTTW News)

The CTA says in July of 2023, it delivered an average of 88% of scheduled rail service, compared to 71% in August of last year. And it says it delivered 96% of bus service this July, compared to 81% last August.

(Free-Photos / Pixabay)

Erin Aleman doesn’t have a crystal ball, but she has a pretty good idea of what Chicago and the surrounding area will look like 30 years from now.

(Giuseppe Milo / Flickr)

An analysis by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning posits economic conditions likely played a role in the yearslong exodus of black residents from the Chicago region.

(Giuseppe Milo / Flickr)

Researchers of demographic shifts in the Chicago region have some interesting takeaways following analysis of census data. One calls the findings “staggering.”

Aerial view in 2011 shows parts of North Lawndale and East Garfield Park (Ian Freimuth / Flickr)

How grassroots organizing is increasingly shaping the West Side community, which is looking to develop a shared vision for economic development.

CTA Red Line rendering (Courtesy of the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning)

Self-driving cars, shuttles that come to your door with the click of a button, walkable communities—these are just a few of the alternative futures residents are being asked to consider this spring and summer.

Would you pay a toll to zoom past traffic in an express lane on the Stevenson? That's one of the big ideas the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning has for the Chicago region. Geoffrey Baer has an exclusive look at their newest plan.

The Chicago region's transportation network and infrastructure need substantial upgrades and funding. We take a look at a new website that details the condition of roads and bridges, and what public transportation agencies need to do to meet the area's growing needs.