Our Research
Transit in Flux: Public Transportation in Chicago
May 2025
On an average weekday, Chicago’s trains and buses provide over 750,000 rides. Currently, the CTA faces an existential budget deficit, with a predicted deficit of 771 million dollars for the 2026 fiscal year. The city is legally required to make back 50% of its budget from fares, which is an unattainable threshold. The CTA is a vital resource for making Chicago the most livable, equitable, and sustainable city it can be. In this report, we present a toolkit for confronting the challenges facing the CTA to build a robust future.
Chicago’s Troubling Air Quality
May 2024
Air pollution is a pressing issue for Chicagoans, with detrimental health and economic effects. Many of these effects are disproportionately felt by low-income and minority communities. We performed dozens of literature reviews, reviewing data, policies, and case studies. We then performed a deep examination of Chicago’s current air pollution policy to highlight areas of improvement. The biggest weaknesses of Chicago’s policy included a lack of specific metrics comparable to other cities and a lack of resources for regulation and enforcement.
Chicago’s Lead Crisis
May 2023
Lead contamination in drinking water remains a pressing concern, especially in the state of Illinois and the city of Chicago, which has around 400,000 lead service lines–the most of any U.S. city. We conducted a review of relevant local, state, and federal legislation on water quality. Our analysis focuses on the impact of lead contamination on schoolchildren and touches on the effects of redlining on this issue. Methods included an examination of the current policy landscape and a cost-benefit analysis regarding the impact of lead in Chicago water lines.