City Infrastructure

Transportation

Ohio’s on a Campaign Against Distracted Driving. Data Says It’s Working.

Leo Savage -
It’s no secret that distracted driving is dangerous. In 2023, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that distracted driving killed 3,275 people across...
Transportation

Rail-to-Trail Conversions Are Breathing New Life Into Abandoned Railways

Evan Blenko -
In 2019, members of the Rails to Trails Conservancy stood on Capitol Hill and unveiled plans for the Great American Rail-Trail, a 3,700-mile pedestrian...
Transportation

Eyes on the Road-E-O: Ohio’s School Bus “Olympics” Build Morale Amid a National Labor Shortage

Janek Schaller -
Glistening in the morning sunlight, a yellow school bus makes a long left-hand turn across the parking lot of Westland High School, just outside...
Public Health

Chicago’s Cooling Centers Provide Needed Relief. But Are They Enough? 

Rachel Yoon -
In the summer of 1995, a blazing heat swept over Chicago. A combination of hot and humid air settled in the area, leading to...
City Infrastructure

In America’s “Hottest Housing Market,” Unhoused Residents Are Feeling the Heat

Janek Schaller -
Mike Clark likes to say that he’s on his fourth career. His resume stretches back well into the 1980s, a wealth of experience that...
In Transit

In Rural Illinois, Advocates Are Keeping the Faith in Public Transit

Janek Schaller -
Adam Lach: I really felt like transportation would be super easy. You get people from point A to point B. I was wrong. Over the...
Transportation

Planes, Trains and Trucks: Debunking the “Flyover Country” Myth

Kiran Hubbard -
When novelist Thomas McGuane described his (adopted) home state of Montana as flyover country in a 1980 Esquire article, he put a name to...
Stories

The World’s Crookedest Street Snakes Through This Iowa Community

Anavi Prakash -
Growing up, Burlington, Iowa, resident Chris Gram thought nothing of the winding road in the middle of town.  “Snake Alley was a curvy street downtown....
Economics
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Is Ohio Living Still Affordable?

Dea Kukeli -
In 2024, Ohio’s cost of living ranked 20th in the entire nation. Compared to the national average, Ohio homeowners and renters save big. But compared to its Midwestern neighbors, Ohio's seen a sharp increase in housing costs, suggesting this affordability might not last much longer.
In Transit

Could Consolidation Save Illinois Public Transit from a Major Derailment?

Janek Schaller -
You wouldn't find the things Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago) knows about Chicago written in any textbook. To learn the city like he did, you'd...
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