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A City That Works

@acitythatworks.bsky.social
102 followers 27 following 66 posts

Policy analysis and ideas on how to make Chicago work better.

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A City That Works @acitythatworks.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
“To untangle that problem, we’re going to need leaders creative and courageous enough to try something new, give up a degree of control, and set up the conditions necessary for success. Aldermen Yancy and Mosley deserve real credit here for stepping up.”
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A City That Works @acitythatworks.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
“Chicago is not New York or Los Angeles or San Francisco. There is no magic, citywide upzoning button that will deliver more housing and tax revenue on command. There are some neighborhoods where zoning is a binding constraint…”
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A City That Works @acitythatworks.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
“Turning vacant lots into productive, populated sites is one of the most important tasks facing this city. Vacant lots are visible tears in the fabric of a neighborhood, and contribute to empty schools and higher crime.”
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A City That Works @acitythatworks.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
“Meanwhile, in the 21st Ward on the far South Side, Alderman Ronnie Mosley has upzoned a wide swath of the area along 111th street near the new Red Line Extension station. These changes will increase the range of housing and business options allowed without special use permits…”
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A City That Works @acitythatworks.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
“In the 5th Ward, Alderman Desmon Yancy is rezoning large portions of the 71st Street Corridor - from Stony Island to Yates Boulevard - to a more uniform set of B2-3 and B3-3 zoning. That will enable above-ground retail by-right across much of the corridor…”
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A City That Works @acitythatworks.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
“Last week, we saw a series of upzonings on the South Side that are particularly encouraging. Aldermen Desmon Yancy (5th) and Ronnie Mosley (21st) are trying a new tack to drive opportunity and development in their wards.”
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A City That Works @acitythatworks.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
A string of upzonings on the South Side are a breath of fresh air for housing development in Chicago with immense credit going to Aldermen Desmond Yancy (5th) and Ronnie Mosley (21st) for their work in this process. citythatworks.substack.com/p/a-better-p...
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A City That Works @acitythatworks.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
RSVP: www.eventbrite.com/e/lets-get-t...
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A City That Works @acitythatworks.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
🚨 Chicago ranked dead last among big cities for new housing construction. 🚨 Join us next week as we discuss solutions with Aldermen Red Burnett, @gilbertv36.bsky.social, and Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council that will get our housing development back on track.
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A City That Works @acitythatworks.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
“More broadly however, this is a nice reminder of the value of competence and effort. There are (basically) no ideological stakes here: everyone wanted the same outcome.”
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A City That Works @acitythatworks.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
“Second, there’s also no downside risk here; in the event that, I dunno, autonomous vehicles make parking irrelevant in twenty years, our revenue share becomes 5% of a much smaller number, but we also don’t have to worry about repaying a massive debt obligation.”
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A City That Works @acitythatworks.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
“Moreover, this is also a better outcome than pay $3 billion to buy the system back in full, which would have been a bad idea. For starters, we don’t have to come up with $3 billion. The cost to service that debt alone would have been enormous.”
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A City That Works @acitythatworks.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
It includes: An upfront payment of $75,000,000 to the city A 5% share of annual Net Operating Income (NOI) generated by the parking meters A 2% transfer fee on any future sale of CPM A commitment by Stonepeak to sell Omni Air International
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A City That Works @acitythatworks.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
““Earlier this month, a group of aldermen announced a proposed agreement they had negotiated with Stonepeak Partners, the would-be purchaser of Chicago Parking Meters LLC (‘CPM,’ or what we commonly refer to as “the parking meter deal”). This is a really good outcome for Chicago.”
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A City That Works @acitythatworks.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
There’s now a light at the end of the tunnel for Chicago’s infamously wretched parking meter deal, and it’s a wonderful, if rare, example of good governance in action. citythatworks.substack.com/p/yes-we-sho...
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A City That Works @acitythatworks.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
“To properly deal with the myriad of challenges the district is facing, Chicago Public Schools will need strong and responsible leadership at its helm. We believe Jessica Biggs is the candidate most likely to deliver that leadership.”
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A City That Works @acitythatworks.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
“We’re also in support of her platform on long-term financial stability for the district, including the importance of creating a cash reserve for the district and improving the district’s credit rating to investment grade.”
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A City That Works @acitythatworks.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
“We like her campaign’s focus on putting students first and centering decision-making around whether policies will improve student learning.”
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A City That Works @acitythatworks.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
“Of the four candidates vying to take on the responsibility of solving that mess, we believe Jessica Biggs has the best chance to solve those problems. Biggs is a former CPS principal and current board member representing the 6th District since 2024.”
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A City That Works @acitythatworks.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
“Meanwhile, student enrollment has fallen by nearly 30% since the early 2000s. The district is also facing revenue challenges which will likely require more support from Springfield than they’ve been able to successfully advocate for in recent years.”
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A City That Works @acitythatworks.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
“As we’ve covered, Chicago Public Schools is facing some real challenges. As of 2024, 23% of CPS fourth graders were proficient in Math, and just 23% were proficient in English.. The Chicago Teachers’ Pension Fund is only 47% funded, with $14 billion in unfunded liabilities.”
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A City That Works @acitythatworks.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
A City That Works is proud to endorse @jessicabiggs.bsky.social for CPS Board President. Read full endorsement: citythatworks.substack.com/p/endorsemen...
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A City That Works @acitythatworks.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Read the full article and subscribe to A City That Works: citythatworks.substack.com/p/lets-fix-t...
citythatworks.substack.com
A plan to cut construction costs
Four changes to boost construction across Chicago
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A City That Works @acitythatworks.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Chicago desperately needs more housing development to prevent skyrocketing rents and a stagnant population. Here’s how lowering construction costs can provide a much needed boost to build more homes.
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A City That Works @acitythatworks.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
“And the city doesn’t need to reinvent the wheel, but just adopt standards already widely used across the country. Doing so will pull Chicago’s plumbing code into the 21st century and remove a meaningful obstacle to building more homes.”
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A City That Works @acitythatworks.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
“There are not many recent examples of reform here - in part because so few jurisdictions have code as restrictive as ours. But in places that have made progress, organized labor has been a partner in changes that result in more work for their members.”
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A City That Works @acitythatworks.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
“Among the jurisdictions analyzed by CBNA, only New York City has consistently stricter limits on the use of plastic piping for residential buildings than Chicago. Notably, the statewide plumbing code for Illinois is much more lenient than Chicago’s. “
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A City That Works @acitythatworks.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
“This restriction is in place despite minimal demonstrated safety benefits from it in the context of modern fire protection, and the fact that most of the country doesn’t prohibit the use of these materials in the same way.”
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A City That Works @acitythatworks.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
“The biggest issue with Chicago’s plumbing code is its restrictions on the materials developers can use — although there are a few other barriers we’ll touch on as well. The city restricts the use of the least expensive piping material, plastic piping, in residential buildings.”
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A City That Works @acitythatworks.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
“Chicago’s overly strict building code adds to the cost of housing construction without much added safety benefit, resulting in more expensive housing, and worse health outcomes.”
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A City That Works @acitythatworks.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
In order to build more homes, Chicago needs to reform its building code to bring down construction costs. One of the best areas to target? Our plumbing code. Read the full article by Daniel Koslovsky: citythatworks.substack.com/p/lets-fix-t...?
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Reposted by A City That Works
Daniel Koslovsky @dtkoslovsky.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
My next article in the @acitythatworks.bsky.social building code series is up, doing a deep dive on the plumbing code. Come to learn about the one weird trick the city could use to shave 5% off construction costs, stay to learn about the 19th century joint coupling method the city still mandates!
citythatworks.substack.com
Let’s fix the plumbing code
Lead and oakum joints belong in museums
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A City That Works @acitythatworks.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
“Chicago is now becoming steadily safer even as we remain weighed down by a mess of broken processes. Imagine if we actually tried, and emulated the reforms that have delivered lower homicide rates in cities like Los Angeles and New York.”
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A City That Works @acitythatworks.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
“…the Mayor and next Superintendent should follow the example of former Los Angeles Police Department Chief William Bratton, who used that city’s consent decree as a “hammer and chisel” to force long overdue reforms to improve accountability and effectiveness.”
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A City That Works @acitythatworks.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
“Finally, the Department is long-overdue to implement a series of operational reforms that could deliver better more accountable policing and better public safety.”
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A City That Works @acitythatworks.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
“Second, CPD would benefit from technology investments to increase officer productivity. While popular attention has generally focused on ShotSpotter – a tool that provides limited but meaningful benefits – the greatest opportunity may come from a suite of other improvements.”
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A City That Works @acitythatworks.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
“One approach may be to try to accelerate CPD’s hiring process, which currently takes 16 months from application to entry into the academy. Another lever to increase sworn officer strength is by putting the 600 sworn officers whose jobs could be done by civilians.”
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A City That Works @acitythatworks.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
“A Mayor with the commitment and managerial savvy to execute these reforms has a real chance to transform our city for the better.”
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A City That Works @acitythatworks.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
“Over the same period in which Chicago has posted a 37% decline, murders are down 42% among all US cities with more than 1 million inhabitants. We remain a violent outlier, with a murder rate two and a half times that of other big US cities.”
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A City That Works @acitythatworks.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
“Unfortunately, this decline does not appear to be the product of better leadership in Chicago. Rather, the recent decline in violence mirrors a nationwide trend.”
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A City That Works @acitythatworks.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
“The best news in Chicago over the last few years has been the city’s dramatic, and merciful decline in violence. Since Mayor Brandon Johnson’s inauguration in May 2023 through June 2026, the murder rate has fallen 37%.”
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A City That Works @acitythatworks.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Chicago has seen a dramatic decline in violent crime over the last few years, but the progress is nowhere near good enough. Thankfully, there are a handful of reforms Chicago's next mayor can implement that can bring about transformative results. 🧵 citythatworks.substack.com/p/chicagos-n...
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A City That Works @acitythatworks.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
We’ll be joined by District 7A School Board candidate Jesus Ayala and aldermanic candidate for the 25th Ward, Nubia Batista Willman. RSVP above!
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A City That Works @acitythatworks.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Join us for our Pilsen Happy Hour this Wednesday, September 9th, from 5:30 - 7:30 PM at Monochrome Brewing to discuss housing, public safety, schools, and more. www.eventbrite.com/e/a-city-tha...
eventbrite.com
A City That Works Pilsen Happy Hour
Come on out and join the A City That Works crew to talk housing, schools and anything else.
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A City That Works @acitythatworks.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Read full article: citythatworks.substack.com/p/illinois-a...
citythatworks.substack.com
Illinois already killed parking mandates. Chicago should finish the job.
The hard part is done, don't make it harder
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A City That Works @acitythatworks.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
“City Council should instead pass a clean repeal of minimum parking requirements from the city zoning code.“
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A City That Works @acitythatworks.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
“Instead, the Mayor proposed an ordinance in June that would use an overlay district to supersede the zoning code parking requirements anywhere the People Over Parking Act applies.”
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A City That Works @acitythatworks.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
“The simple way to do this for POPA would be to just update the zoning code to eliminate any reference to parking requirements, shortening the code and getting rid of the residual requirement on the last bits of city land.”
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A City That Works @acitythatworks.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
“POPA applies to residential and commercial uses, and it covers both new buildings (whether by right or Planned Developments) and changes to existing buildings. Eliminating parking mandates is the most impactful and straightforward “cut the tape” reform that cities can take, and many have.”
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A City That Works @acitythatworks.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
“Unfortunately, Chicago is currently set to implement the new state law into its zoning code in the most cumbersome way possible. There is a better way.”
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