CHICAGO | Economic & Business Development

[the urban politician]

Chicago not looking too strong as an investment target, but I found this to be quite noteworthy (see bolded portion):

https://www.chicagobusiness.com/comm...g-survey-finds

In short, the Chicago market is a mixed bag, says the survey by PwC and the Urban Land Institute. The report points out that investors have poured money into its industrial and apartment sectors. But it knocks the area for its “widely publicized challenges,” including crime and fiscal problems stemming from underfunded public pensions.

“It is a city with both great strengths and great weaknesses,” the report says. “One thing that Chicago has going for it is its job density. A recent Brookings Institution study showed that 90 percent of the increase in post-2005 job density occurred in just four metro areas: Chicago, New York City, San Francisco and Seattle. Whether this will eclipse Chicago’s reputation for gun violence remains to be seen.”

Chicago also scores poorly as a market for homebuilders, ranking 78th out of the 80 metro areas for “homebuilding prospects.”

And Evanston getting some love:

But the report gives suburban Evanston a shout-out, citing it as an example of “hipsturbia”: suburbs that have a vibrancy and cool factor, along with an abundance of retail, restaurants and recreation.

It helps that Evanston is a college town, with Northwestern University providing “a constant supply of young adults.”

“Rooftop bars, Lake Michigan beaches, downtown shopping and access to and from the Chicago Loop via the Chicago Transit Authority’s Purple Line help round out the elements of coolness in one of the Midwest’s oldest suburbs,” the report says.