Richard Day
@rsday.bsky.social
Reposted by Richard Day
what I'm reading today...
1. lessons [for Chicago?] from the New York City election, specifically the referenda to update the city charter to make it easier to get new housing approved
citythatworks.substack.com/p/lessons-fr...
1. lessons [for Chicago?] from the New York City election, specifically the referenda to update the city charter to make it easier to get new housing approved
citythatworks.substack.com/p/lessons-fr...
Lessons from New York’s recent housing wins
A path to better housing policy in one of our most expensive cities
citythatworks.substack.com
November 22, 2025 at 7:08 PM
what I'm reading today...
1. lessons [for Chicago?] from the New York City election, specifically the referenda to update the city charter to make it easier to get new housing approved
citythatworks.substack.com/p/lessons-fr...
1. lessons [for Chicago?] from the New York City election, specifically the referenda to update the city charter to make it easier to get new housing approved
citythatworks.substack.com/p/lessons-fr...
Reposted by Richard Day
Per @davidstruett.bsky.social @chicagocta.bsky.social is purchasing hybrid buses with federal grant money. Should NITA prioritize future capital $$$ on zero emissions vehicles or should other needs take priority—e.g., BRT, station/bus stop accessibility? chicago.suntimes.com/transportati...
CTA to buy up to 150 hybrid buses with $121 million federal grant
The Federal Transit Administration on Thursday announced $1.1 billion in awards through its Low or No Emission Grant Program.
chicago.suntimes.com
November 22, 2025 at 1:41 PM
Per @davidstruett.bsky.social @chicagocta.bsky.social is purchasing hybrid buses with federal grant money. Should NITA prioritize future capital $$$ on zero emissions vehicles or should other needs take priority—e.g., BRT, station/bus stop accessibility? chicago.suntimes.com/transportati...
Over at A City That Works, I took a look at what Chicago (and other cities) can learn from New York's effort to speed housing development and weaken aldermanic prerogative. citythatworks.substack.com/p/lessons-fr...
Lessons from New York’s recent housing wins
A path to better housing policy in one of our most expensive cities
citythatworks.substack.com
November 20, 2025 at 4:42 PM
Over at A City That Works, I took a look at what Chicago (and other cities) can learn from New York's effort to speed housing development and weaken aldermanic prerogative. citythatworks.substack.com/p/lessons-fr...
Reposted by Richard Day
"CTA keeps using federal funding to pay debt service, which negatively impacts the agency's ability to execute new projects. By the way, we're going to add another $1.5 billion in debt over the next five years, but don't worry, we'll pay it back with federal funding."
This seems... bad? Maybe some sort of financial oversight agency should be stepping in at some point?
November 19, 2025 at 10:02 PM
"CTA keeps using federal funding to pay debt service, which negatively impacts the agency's ability to execute new projects. By the way, we're going to add another $1.5 billion in debt over the next five years, but don't worry, we'll pay it back with federal funding."
Reposted by Richard Day
To the charge that it doesn't fit in: I don't think it's supposed to. Sometimes we should add new idiosyncratic, monumental buildings/spaces
November 1, 2025 at 7:59 PM
To the charge that it doesn't fit in: I don't think it's supposed to. Sometimes we should add new idiosyncratic, monumental buildings/spaces
Over at A City That Works, Conor's got a great new piece looking at the Mayor's new budget proposal: citythatworks.substack.com/p/budget-sea...
Budget Season 2026: the good, the bad, and the ugly
Some thoughts on the first - but certainly not last - draft of next year’s City Budget.
citythatworks.substack.com
October 22, 2025 at 11:24 PM
Over at A City That Works, Conor's got a great new piece looking at the Mayor's new budget proposal: citythatworks.substack.com/p/budget-sea...
Over at A City That Works: Police are far more effective when deployed to the hotspots where violence is most likely to occur. But Chicago's deployments are heavily skewed towards the least-violent parts of the city. (1/4) citythatworks.substack.com/p/put-police...
Put police officers where the violence is
The promise of CPD’s workforce allocation study
citythatworks.substack.com
October 20, 2025 at 7:40 PM
Over at A City That Works: Police are far more effective when deployed to the hotspots where violence is most likely to occur. But Chicago's deployments are heavily skewed towards the least-violent parts of the city. (1/4) citythatworks.substack.com/p/put-police...
And a full blown @chicagocta.bsky.social meltdown getting out, sadly.
October 18, 2025 at 7:52 PM
And a full blown @chicagocta.bsky.social meltdown getting out, sadly.
Reposted by Richard Day
Chicagoland’s transit agencies can’t afford to go it alone. Real reform means Metra, Pace, and CTA working together, with unified planning, fares, and goals, to build a system that truly serves the whole region. 🚇 🚂 🚍
citythatworks.substack.com/p/the-suburb...
citythatworks.substack.com/p/the-suburb...
The Suburban Case for Transit Reform
Trips don’t end at the city limits, so why do our transit agencies?
citythatworks.substack.com
October 14, 2025 at 1:20 PM
Chicagoland’s transit agencies can’t afford to go it alone. Real reform means Metra, Pace, and CTA working together, with unified planning, fares, and goals, to build a system that truly serves the whole region. 🚇 🚂 🚍
citythatworks.substack.com/p/the-suburb...
citythatworks.substack.com/p/the-suburb...
Wrote about the Trump administration’s power grab unfolding in Chicago, and the most effective tools we have to respond.
Responding to the Trump Administration's assault on Chicago
Don’t give a bully the fight he wants
open.substack.com
October 10, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Wrote about the Trump administration’s power grab unfolding in Chicago, and the most effective tools we have to respond.
Reposted by Richard Day
Humpty Dumpty keeps falling off the wall, and while we’ve gotten very efficient at putting him back together each time, it’s time to start thinking about the wall as the real problem.
New from me on A City That Works: The Suburban Case for Transit Reform
New from me on A City That Works: The Suburban Case for Transit Reform
The Suburban Case for Transit Reform
Trips don’t end at the city limits, so why do our transit agencies?
citythatworks.substack.com
October 7, 2025 at 1:26 PM
Humpty Dumpty keeps falling off the wall, and while we’ve gotten very efficient at putting him back together each time, it’s time to start thinking about the wall as the real problem.
New from me on A City That Works: The Suburban Case for Transit Reform
New from me on A City That Works: The Suburban Case for Transit Reform
Reposted by Richard Day
IMO @zyudhishthu.bsky.social nails it on mandatory minimum densities: you CAN do them right, but the benefits are so minimal & the risks so inevitable that they're not worth the trouble pencillingout.substack.com/p/can-we-boo...
October 5, 2025 at 12:39 AM
IMO @zyudhishthu.bsky.social nails it on mandatory minimum densities: you CAN do them right, but the benefits are so minimal & the risks so inevitable that they're not worth the trouble pencillingout.substack.com/p/can-we-boo...
Reposted by Richard Day
City That Works author Richard Day is out with a great write-up of the current accessory dwelling unit (ADU) situation. 🏘️
His conclusion is alarming: Ald. Quinn's ADU ordinance will kill ADU construction citywide, even in current ADU pilot areas. 😠
citythatworks.substack.com/p/there-is-o...
His conclusion is alarming: Ald. Quinn's ADU ordinance will kill ADU construction citywide, even in current ADU pilot areas. 😠
citythatworks.substack.com/p/there-is-o...
There is only one good ADU bill
Chicago struggles with the basics of better housing policy
citythatworks.substack.com
September 23, 2025 at 12:30 PM
City That Works author Richard Day is out with a great write-up of the current accessory dwelling unit (ADU) situation. 🏘️
His conclusion is alarming: Ald. Quinn's ADU ordinance will kill ADU construction citywide, even in current ADU pilot areas. 😠
citythatworks.substack.com/p/there-is-o...
His conclusion is alarming: Ald. Quinn's ADU ordinance will kill ADU construction citywide, even in current ADU pilot areas. 😠
citythatworks.substack.com/p/there-is-o...
Over at A City That Works: Harjas Sandhu has a great piece breaking down Chicago's lead pipe problem. And I think it may have already helped trigger a City Council hearing next week?
citythatworks.substack.com/p/solving-ch...
citythatworks.substack.com/p/solving-ch...
Solving Chicago's lead pipe problem
Better answers for one of the city's most difficult challenges
citythatworks.substack.com
September 18, 2025 at 7:53 PM
Over at A City That Works: Harjas Sandhu has a great piece breaking down Chicago's lead pipe problem. And I think it may have already helped trigger a City Council hearing next week?
citythatworks.substack.com/p/solving-ch...
citythatworks.substack.com/p/solving-ch...
Reposted by Richard Day
A good new post about NITA in A City That Works today: citythatworks.substack.com/p/the-northe...
The Northern Illinois Transit Authority is a good idea
A solid compromise on a challenging problem
citythatworks.substack.com
September 12, 2025 at 12:42 PM
A good new post about NITA in A City That Works today: citythatworks.substack.com/p/the-northe...
Come on out!
Richard Day and Alderman Andre Vasquez are going to chat housing @ the Hideout on Monday Sept 22
People are fleeing red states for more rights. They need a place to call home!
@indivisiblechicago.bsky.social
@andrefor40th.bsky.social
@rsday.bsky.social
www.mobilize.us/indivisiblec...
People are fleeing red states for more rights. They need a place to call home!
@indivisiblechicago.bsky.social
@andrefor40th.bsky.social
@rsday.bsky.social
www.mobilize.us/indivisiblec...
SHOW UP CHICAGO with Richard Day and Alderman Andre Vasquez · Indivisible Chicago
This summer, in a rare display of unanimity, Chicago’s City Council made it much easier for developers to construct new housing, by eliminating parking-space minimums for many new projects built close...
www.mobilize.us
September 6, 2025 at 7:16 PM
Come on out!
Reposted by Richard Day
A helpful article from Justin Erb this morning explains what CTA does and does not have to do to comply with Title VI (anti-discrimination/bigotry) when proposing or making service cuts. citythatworks.substack.com/p/federal-ru...
Federal rules do not prevent the CTA from making smart cuts
Explaining Title VI of the Civil Rights Act
citythatworks.substack.com
August 22, 2025 at 12:35 PM
A helpful article from Justin Erb this morning explains what CTA does and does not have to do to comply with Title VI (anti-discrimination/bigotry) when proposing or making service cuts. citythatworks.substack.com/p/federal-ru...
Reposted by Richard Day
The design is still a customer experience nightmare, but at least it’s more than twice as expensive now than it was four years ago
The State and Lake CTA station is getting a $440 million overhaul with a glass roof and elevators to the Red Line. blockclubchi.co/4mK05Wq
August 20, 2025 at 5:44 PM
The design is still a customer experience nightmare, but at least it’s more than twice as expensive now than it was four years ago
It’s a really fun piece. airmail.news/issues/2025-...
August 17, 2025 at 1:18 AM
It’s a really fun piece. airmail.news/issues/2025-...
Reposted by Richard Day
In 2024, Illinois was almost dead-last for new housing permits on a per capita basis
August 14, 2025 at 3:18 AM
In 2024, Illinois was almost dead-last for new housing permits on a per capita basis
Reposted by Richard Day
It seems like every week I see Chicago reject more residents and lower property taxes by saying no to development. Would hope for more from 1st ward @aldermanlaspata.bsky.social
August 13, 2025 at 2:42 AM
It seems like every week I see Chicago reject more residents and lower property taxes by saying no to development. Would hope for more from 1st ward @aldermanlaspata.bsky.social
Reposted by Richard Day
Useful article from Pew explaining how building new housing (usually more expensive) makes all rent cheaper, but most significantly for older homes www.pew.org/en/research-...
New Housing Slows Rent Growth Most for Older, More Affordable Units
The nationwide housing shortage has driven rents up more in low-income neighborhoods than in the U.S. overall, but in areas that have recently added large amounts of housing, rents have fallen the mos...
www.pew.org
August 5, 2025 at 2:27 PM
Useful article from Pew explaining how building new housing (usually more expensive) makes all rent cheaper, but most significantly for older homes www.pew.org/en/research-...
Friday afternoon, Springfield dealt a body blow to Chicago's finances. Over at A City That Works, Conor and I break down the implications: citythatworks.substack.com/p/the-fallou...
The fallout from Springfield’s disastrous pension decision
We can’t go on like this
citythatworks.substack.com
August 4, 2025 at 2:11 PM
Friday afternoon, Springfield dealt a body blow to Chicago's finances. Over at A City That Works, Conor and I break down the implications: citythatworks.substack.com/p/the-fallou...
Reposted by Richard Day
The pension sweetener that Pritzker just signed is an abject disaster for the City of Chicago (which apparently lobbied against it)
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/07/21/g...
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/07/21/g...
August 3, 2025 at 10:57 PM
The pension sweetener that Pritzker just signed is an abject disaster for the City of Chicago (which apparently lobbied against it)
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/07/21/g...
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/07/21/g...