Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson joined Reset host Sasha-Ann Simons in-studio for a public forum answering live questions from listeners including everything from how community members can have greater input into development projects in their wards to whether bike lanes will be built on the West Side of Chicago.
For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
What would win in a race between a car, bike and the Chicago Transit Authority?
Over the past few years, Chicago has been abuzz with road construction projects. There are more protected bike lanes, pedestrian refuge islands and curb bump-outs across the city. As we learned in our last episode, that also includes the installation of miniature traffic circles in residential areas. It’s all in service to make the roads safer by slowing cars down.
Safer streets is a win, but it doesn’t necessarily satisfy the urge to get somewhere fast. Cycling and public transportation are viable alternatives, but sometimes it’s hard to separate yourself from the convenience of driving somewhere.
In this episode, the Curious City team puts the different modes of transportation to the test in a good old-fashioned transit race. From the Garfield Park Conservatory to Navy Pier, who will win? Car, bike or public transportation?
Plus, Midwest correspondent for the Economist, Daniel Knowles makes the case for why we should rethink our relationship with cars, and answers why the fastest isn’t always the best.
“People will always drive if it's the most convenient or the quickest way,” said Knowles, author of “Carmeggedon: How Cars Make Life Worse and What to Do About It.” “You can't exhort people to change, you have to kind of change the incentives.”
With tariffs leading to higher prices on everything from clothing to electronics, is this an opportunity to rethink what we buy, and how often we buy it?
In Chicago, a range of businesses and groups are helping residents rethink the typical consumer mindset by reusing items, and even buying locally.
Reset learns more about the “circular economy,” how it works in Chicago, and how it could help your wallet – and by extension, the environment. We checked in with Jonathan Pereira, executive director Plant Chicago; Bob Shea, founding director of Devices 4 the Disabled; and
Karen Weigert, director of Loyola University Chicago’s Baumhart Center for Social Enterprise and Responsibility.
For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
They use up massive amounts of electricity and water, strain state resources, and get hundreds of millions of dollars in tax subsidies. So what benefits do data centers actually bring to Illinois residents?
Reset digs into this question with Sarah Moskowitz, executive director of Citizens Utility Board, and Brett Chase, environmental reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times.
For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
In a new exhibition, Chicago’s Floating Museum pays homage to Bronzeville’s Mecca Flats through its Floating Monuments series. Built in 1892 as a hotel for visitors to the World’s Fair, the Mecca Flats was later converted into apartments that served Chicago’s African American community on the South Side.
But by the 1950s, the building was demolished to make way for the Illinois Institute of Technology’s S.R. Crown Hall. Now, the Floating Museum is honoring the Mecca Flats’ contribution to Chicago's culture with an inflatable replica of the apartment building.
Reset examines the history of the Mecca, the legacy of urban renewal and the displacement of Black residents with Faheem Majeed, artist and co-director of the Floating Museum, and
Rebekah Coffman, curator of religion and community history architecture at the Chicago History Museum.
For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
Mini traffic circles at the intersections of residential streets might annoy drivers because they force cars to slow down. But their safety features outweigh the inconvenience.
With a shortage of more than 150,000 homes in Chicago, the city is seeking new solutions to provide quick and affordable homes to residents. Modular homes and accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, are seen as the most effective solution to this crisis, providing Chicagoans with cheaper access to housing. Reset learns more about the fight to legalize the construction of new ADUs and the overall fight for affordable housing in Chicago, with Bob Palmer, policy director at Housing Action Illinois; Alex Nitkin, government finance and accountability reporter at Illinois Answers Project; and Tim Swanson, founder of Inherent L3C.
For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
State Farm will raise home insurance premiums for new and current Illinois customers starting mid-July, saying it’s getting too expensive. In 2024, the company said it paid out more in claims than it collected in premiums. Illinois residents will see an average increase of 27%. Reset hears how this could affect residents, with Nedra Sims-Fears, executive director of the Greater Chatham Initiative, and Kaila Lariviere, manager of Chicago’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications.
For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
After the devastating heat wave that hit Chicago in 1995, the city has introduced numerous different plans and programs to fight the heat. But is it enough? Is Chicago fully prepared to prevent another tragedy?
Reset finds out with Kaila Lariviere, manager of Emergency Management Services for the city of Chicago; Sheetal Rao, assistant professor of clinical medicine at the University of Illinois Chicago; and Daniel Horton, assistant professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Northwestern University.
For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.
Heat is the most hazardous weather event in the world. The UN estimates that mortality for people over 65 years old increased by 85% between 2017 and 2021. As climate change brings more extreme temperatures, we examine the short- and long-term effects of heat exposure. Plus, what we need to do to address health inequities and disparities to prevent a repeat of the 1995 heat wave that killed 739 Chicagoans. Reset learns more from Karen Weigert, director of Loyola University Chicago’s Baumhart Center for Social Enterprise and Responsibility and Dr. Kiran Joshi, Chief Operating Officer for Cook County Department of Public Health.
