GRC Virtual Research Guide: Urban Design and Chicago

The City of Chicago's printable PDF map of community areas; 830 KB.

Printable ready-made maps in downloadable PDFs, created from demographic profiles, based on the both the Census 2000 short-form (Summary File 1 data) and long-form (Summary File 3 data), adapted from the U.S. Census Bureau's release on May 14, 2002. Each profile includes four tables labeled DP-1 through DP-4 that provide various population, housing, social, and economic characteristics from the 2000 Census.

PDF file of the City of Chicago's Aldermanic Wards, 1.05 MB.

View and download more than 400 datasets of the green infrastructure assets in our region; a map showing opportunities for cross-border acquisition, restoration and management along the Wisconsin-Illinois and Illinois-Indiana borders; or green infrastructure maps of the 19 counties studied, and more. A joint project of The Center for Neighborhood Technology and Openlands, with funding from The Joyce Foundation.

Maps of the United States Congressional Districts, Illinois House Districts, and Illinois Senate Districts. Downloadable PDFs.

Great UIUC page for Illinois GIS data sets and documentation (metadata) for ArcIMS Interactive Map Services, USGS digital topographic maps, aerial photography, orthoimagery, orthophotography, geology, land use, natural resources, and infrastructure. Illinois data sets and map data layers are available for download free of charge.

Founded in 1975, PPS embraces the insights of William H. Whyte, a pioneer in understanding the way people use public spaces. Today, PPS has become an internationally recognized center for best-practices, information, and resources about Placemaking.

The Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) promotes walkable, neighborhood-based development as an alternative to sprawl. CNU takes a proactive, multi-disciplinary approach to restoring our communities. Members are the life of the organization – they are the planners, developers, architects, engineers, public officials, investors, and community activists who create and influence our built environment, transforming growth patterns from the inside out.

The Cyburbia Forums is the oldest and most active English language urban planning message board on the Internet. News, a planning wiki, calendar, and image forums, from 'Best Practices' to 'The bad and the ugly in the built environment'.

Based in New York City, the Forum for Urban Design engages its members through programs and publications (such as the Urban Design Review) that promote awareness of contemporary urban design’s best practices and greatest challenges.

Planners Network is an association of progressive planning comprised of professionals, activists, academics, and students involved in physical, social, economic, and environmental planning in urban and rural areas. It serves as a voice for social, economic, and environmental justice through planning.

The Trust for Public Land (TPL) is a national, nonprofit, land conservation organization that conserves land for people to enjoy as parks, community gardens, historic sites, rural lands, and other natural places.

The City Fix is an online resource for sustainable transport news, advocacy and “best practice” solutions from around the world. It boasts a global network of writers and transport specialists, including engineers, entrepreneurs, urban planners and researchers, who explore environmentally and socially responsible ways to make cities better places to live.

The Atlantic Cities explores ideas and issues facing today’s global cities and neighborhoods, bringing together news, analysis, data, and trends.