Chicago and the region face a multitude of pressing issues — from public safety and the child mental health crisis to flooding in urban areas. The Forum explores the problems — and how to solve them.
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
Forum underwriters:
Physician retention: Why doctors are calling it quits
Jan. 29, 2024
Physican retention: Why doctors are calling it quits
2024
Rebranding Chicago: Here's how the city can reinvigorate its reputation
Feb. 26, 2024
How to bring Chicago's housing affordability down to earth
May 28, 2024
DNC 2024: The convention will shine a spotlight on Chicago — for better or worse
March 25, 2024
Urban flooding is a rising threat. What can cities do to safeguard their futures?
april 15, 2024
A lifeline for CPS and other school districts is ending. What's next?
June 24, 2024
Philanthropy has entered the race to save local news. Will it be enough?
AUGUST 26, 2024
Are stadiums a smart use of taxpayer money?
July 29, 2024
In the Great Lakes region's biggest cities crime is down, but public fears of violence remain
Sept. 23, 2024
September 23, 2024
Johnson and the CTU are pushing for neighborhood schools over choice. Can CPS strike a balance?
October 21, 2024
Chicago-area transit agencies face a reckoning that could derail the region
November 25, 2024
Cook County's property tax system is complex. Here’s how it can be fixed.
December 16, 2024
City's next chapter: Brandon Johnson's ambitions prepare to meet Chicago's reality
May 29, 2023
Racial wealth gap: Why closing Chicago's racial wealth gap became a priority
June 26, 2023
New workplace: Hybrid and remote work reshape how and where Chicago works
July 31, 2023
Johnson's first 100 days: Mayor leans into collaboration, compromise in first few months
Aug. 28, 2023
Labor organizing: Union activity ticks up in nontraditional areas
Jan. 30, 2023
The state of ESG: ESG investing meets the reality of the U.S. political divide
Feb. 27, 2023
Secondary education: How do you get high schoolers on the right career path?
March 27, 2023
Crossroads: CPS faces a very different landscape a decade after nearly 50 schools closed
April 24, 2023
EV: As electric vehicle plants flock to the South, the Midwest is fighting back
Sept. 25, 2023
SEPT. 25, 2023
Child mental health: The youth mental health crisis needs urgent care. What will it take?
Oct. 23, 2023
Chicago's cultural life: Chicago performing arts struggle to win back audiences
Nov. 27, 2023
Voting and democracy: Illinois weighs political reform with ranked choice voting
Dec. 18, 2023
Affordable housing: The search for creative affordable housing solutions
Dec. 19, 2022
Michigan Avenue: Putting the Magnificent back into the Mile
Nov. 28, 2022
A safer Chicago: The inequality of violence
Oct. 24, 2022
Equitable health: Squeezed budgets could slow efforts to achieve health equity
Sept. 26, 2022
Homelessness: Creatively helping the unhoused
May 27, 2022
Climate migrants: How the midwest can be a refuge
June 23, 2022
Energy: Carbon-free energy is creating a volatile state of affairs
July 29, 2022
Higher education: Confronting the cliff
Aug. 26, 2022
ESG investing: Investing in a better future
Jan. 28, 2022
Illinois infrastructure: Chicago's infrastructure is about to get a historic overhaul
Feb. 25, 2022
Workplace mental health: COVID-19's other health impact
April 1, 2022
Property tax reform: Finding the balance
April 28, 2022
Jobs: Bringing a jobs desert back to life in Chicago
Dec. 16, 2021
Culture: How social issues fueled tensions in Chicago's theater community
Nov. 23, 2021
Police misconduct: Can the Chicago Police Department be reformed?
Oct. 20, 2021
The Chicago Fire: The Great Fire set the city on course to become an architectural leader
Sept. 24, 2021
Workplace diversity: Corporate Chicago struggles to keep equity promises
May 28, 2021
Post-COVID Chicago: City emerges from a deadly pandemic
June 25, 2021
Great Lakes pollution: The major micro threat to our lakes
July 30, 2021
Education loss: What Chicago-area kids lost and gained in a pandemic school year
Aug. 27, 2021
Lake Michigan: Troubled waters
Jan. 22, 2021
The future of capitalism: Socially conscious investing gains currency
Feb. 19, 2021
Manufacturing: Quick rebound sets industry up for changing future
March 19, 2021
Gun violence and COVID-19: Chicago's seemingly unabated tragedy
April 23, 2021
Work-life: How 2020 ruptured the link between the office and home
Dec. 18, 2020
Freight: Chicago's endless loop of gridlock
Nov. 20, 2020
Regional planning: COVID endangers Chicago's global status
Oct. 23, 2020
Health care: COVID-19 quickly deepened long-standing cracks
Sept. 25, 2020
COVID-19: Can America regain its swagger?
May 1, 2020
Transportation: Getting from here to there has never been more complicated
June 20, 2020
Police reform: Rising crime vs. rising resentment of heavy-handed policing
July 31, 2020
Education: There's little consensus about how to safely reopen schools
Aug. 28, 2020
Taxes: Illinois' outdated tax system hurts everyone
Feb. 7, 2020
Racial gaps: How inequality costs all Chicagoans
Feb. 28, 2020
Economic development: Some neighborhoods sizzle, others barely tread water
April 3, 2020
Jobs: Searching for reliable middle class work
Dec. 20, 2019
Cannabis: No easy path to sharing the wealth
Nov. 25, 2019
Education: Too many hurdles to and through college
Oct. 25, 2019
Water: Complacency is catching up with us
Sept. 27, 2019
Pensions: The perilous path to pension solvency
June 20, 2019
Housing: Closing the affordability gap
July 26, 2019
Gun violence: All hands in, no time to spare
Aug. 30, 2019
