The Case for Chicago 2100

Sign the Petition for Chicago 2100 Now

Chicago’s transit just barely overcame a drastic fiscal cliff, now with the passing of Illinois bill SB2111, we can imagine and shape its future.  The Chicago 2100 plan is ambitious, yet incrementally achievable that will improve every neighborhood for every Chicagoan, ensuring the city remains vibrant. Sign this petition now to  demand the world-class system our city deserves

We need to be bold and truly aspire for something grand to work towards. Elements of the famous Daniel Burnham plan have continued to shape the city since its inception, why did our city stop dreaming big? The city that invented the skyscraper, reversed a whole river, and hosted 2 World Fairs shouldn’t shun away from optimism. A commitment by the city to the Chicago 2100 plan would help save and grow transit.

The city’s fiscal problems are deeper than just transit, with a deep deficit/debt and unsustainable pension obligations. Without increasing the tax base, the fiscal outlook is grim. The city used to be home to more than 1 million more people than today. Most underestimate the downsides of car dependent infrastructure - pollution, traffic death, negative health outcomes, and high infrastructure cost per resident. Our current development prioritizes this low-density car-dependency with uncompetitive transit options. Because of this, the city is traffic-ridden and facing an ever-increasing tax burden. Simply, more people cannot fit in this city without upgrading our infrastructure. With a housing and cost-of-living crisis, Chicago must build! Improving public transportation and promoting transit-oriented-development (TOD) with the Chicago 2100 roadmap is a critical step to alleviate these issues. 

Every addition to the network is an opportunity to increase people’s access to jobs, education, and recreation. The whole city deserves world-class rapid transit. As pictured, CTA should pursue extensions to most “L” lines and promote TOD along them. With the creation of a new teal line along western, cross city connections not centered on the loop are convenient. By bringing the pink line to the old Humboldt park alignment, that neighborhood is served and frees up the loop’s capacity. The southside extensions to the green and purple connect currently underserved and underinvested neighborhoods. The brown line connection gives the network easier O’Hare and suburban connections. The orange and yellow extensions connect to popular destination malls and further development opportunities. These alignments help connect every neighborhood more succinctly, without every trip going through the loop. To begin implementation and bridge remaining gaps, bus rapid transit (BRT) with dedicated right-of-way is drastically more cost-effective than rail built along other key corridors. A corridor for Ashland avenue already has a conceptual design, and a larger scale proof of concept beyond the existing and well-utilized loop link improvements. This would put every resident within a 20 minute walk to true rapid transit, drastically reducing car dependency in even the furthest stretches of the city.

Existing Metra trains are underutilized and under connected for city transport, mainly serving commuters. With new infill stations, comprehensive integration, and improved service, these new crosstown Metra “M” lines would better connect the city with additions to existing infrastructure. Chicago 2100 includes a once proposed suburban connector STAR and Mid-Transitway. Critical backbone projects to the Metra integration are the A2 flyover, St Charles Air Flyover, CHIP (Chicago Hub Improvement), Ogilvie/Union connection, and total electrification.

There are so many hurdles to a plan like this, and it’s easy to write this off as overly-ambitious. These challenges exist, but peer cities have demonstrated it is doable today. Construction costs of transit nationwide are out of control and must be addressed to make this feasible. Along with institutional capacity for design, the city must reform its contracting and consulting models to avoid costs like the Red Line Extension at almost $1B per mile! Adopting standardization of station designs and agency governance consolidation under the RTA are great first steps to mitigate costs. Overcoming local opposition to zoning and parking reforms requires a cultural shift to build trust that expanding transit is the only viable future. Chicago must rise to the occasion to continue to thrive as America's 3rd largest city.

With shown feasibility projections and better cost management, this system could be achieved BEFORE 2100 with capital investment of under $1.5B/year. This is a fraction of what the state and federal government invest in Illinois road network, ~$40B/yr. Both serve as important transportation infrastructure, but it is time to invest heavily in transit. Public transit has been underinvested-in for decades, and now is a shining moment to promote and grow the system. A Chicago-specific study by Argonne National Laboratory determined that every dollar spent on transit produces $13 in economic activity and societal benefit. The best way to fuel the region's economy and prepare for needed future growth is to adopt the 2100 Plan.

Nationally, public spending on transportation infrastructure is a crucial investment into local economies. Improving travel efficiency via new road, bridge, and public transit funds helps fuel local business and the regional economy. These are good investments, and provide returns that are compounding overtime. More resources should be allocated to regional public transportation projects, such as the Chicago 2100 plan. A detailed study by the urban institute illustrates investment overtime, illustrating the chronic underinvestment in city public transit systems by both state and federal governments.

"Since IIJA went into effect, our comparisons indicate only a limited increase in additional highway and street infrastructure created overall. We also find suggestive evidence of a net decline in investment in passenger and freight rail transportation over the same period and see no evidence that overall spending on public transit capital investments (e.g., bus and rail) increased, when accounting for rapid increases in labor and materials costs"

With growing support, I hope the case for Chicago 2100 is clear. We urgently need infrastructure investment and a commitment to a grand vision. For the sake of fast and reliable transportation, local and equitable economic development, and the city's long term sustainability. Sign the Petition Now