CREATing a Plan
All Aboard!
Initiatives Seek Upgrades for Midwest Transit
A 22-in. snow in January 1999 in Chicago was the spark for an ambitious, $1.5 billion plan, the Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency Program. The blizzard snarled freight operations for "multiple days" locally and regionally, says Brian Steele, spokesman for the Chicago Department of Transportation.
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Transit Transformation

Station Upgrades Focus of $530 Million Brown Line Overhaul
The Chicago Transit Authority's five-year Brown Line capacity expansion project, a massive undertaking in which 18 of the line's 19 stations are facing some sort of construction work, is more than half complete.
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Sustainable Goes Mainstream

Construction Industry Keeps Pace With Office Owners' Green Growth
Green building is no longer considered a value-added concept in the Midwest. It has become mainstream in a surprisingly short period. The driving force behind this shift is a market led by developers who are sensitive to utility costs and have an eye for return on investment and employees increasingly guided by social consciousness.
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Open-Air Malls

Retail Developers Weave Lifestyle Concept into Larger Projects
Upscale lifestyle centers continue to be the fastest-growing format in shopping center design, according to the New York-based International Council of Shopping Centers. The open-air malls that feature extensive landscaping, outdoor entertainment and convenient parking are popping up even in harsh Midwest climates. Gross leasing areas of "true" lifestyle centers typically range from 300,000 and 500,000 sq ft, and the tenants are the same that can be found in regional malls.
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Illinois, Wisconsin Projects

Re-dos Help Rejuvenate Fading Shopping Malls If you rebuild it, they will come. Throughout the country, shopping centers are undergoing revitalization and reconstruction to cater to changing retail demands. The Midwest is no exception to this trend. Malls being renovated include Wisconsin's Bayshore Mall in Glendale and Illinois' Fountain Square Mall in Waukegan.
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