[the urban politician]

Not as sexy as a Fulton Market highrise, but good news nonetheless as a whole. Some highlights I quoted:

Chicago In Focus, As Industrial Becomes Real Estate’s New Darling
Jeffrey Steele

In few places is the metamorphosis more evident than in the Chicago metropolitan area, which is able to leverage its advantage as a central U.S. transportation hub in supplying the factory, warehouse and fulfillment center needs of companies nation- and worldwide. A recent snapshot of the Chicago metro's industrial market reveals new industrial leasing soared by 56.3 % year-over-year, based on 21.2 million square feet in new leasing activity, according to the latest Cushman-Wakefield report.

Centrality's significance

When it comes to explaining the Windy City's attractiveness as a market for industrial development and investment, the metro’s enviable standing as a transportation center can't be overlooked. So says Micahel Podboy, president of Chicago-based CA Industrial, which has grown its industrial team by 100 percent, expanded its U.S. footprint and recently wrapped up projects in major distribution hubs Cincinnati and Indianapolis, as well as in Chicago.

"With labor and transportation costs accounting for over 50% of costs in the supply chain, good transportation infrastructure is critical," Podboy says. "Chicago sits at the epicenter of transportation, with its access to two international airports, multiple rail lines and interstate highways, with much of the country's population accessible within a day's drive."

Indeed, according to Site Selection, the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin area stands within 24 hours drive time of 117,633,758 members of the American population.

The future

With supply remaining tight, logistics real estate is today’s most desirable asset class, asserts Dan Leahy, executive vice president and partner with Oak Brook, Ill.-based NAI Hiffman, which recently completed a lease for a major e-commerce company calling for two last-mile warehouses totaling 575,000 square feet in the near-in Chicago suburb of Cicero, Ill. The past two decades have seen Leahy complete more than 500 transactions, totaling more than $2 billion. Having won clients that include WalMart WMT +1.2%, CenterPoint Properties and TA Realty, he is regarded among the leading industrial brokers in Chicago and the U.S.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffste.../#756f9dd41d5a