Books & Monographs

MDRN​
Municipal Design Review Network:  Creating Community, a publication featuring mission & milestones. Our illustrated book  (24 pages) on the many accomplishments of "MDRN",  led by a group of professionals committed to improving public spaces. Click the book cover to view.  We are proud to be the organizational home of the network. For a hard copy of the book, please email mdrn@depaul.edu​​

TT
Terminal Town: An Illustrated Guide to Chicago's Airports, Bus Depots, Train Stations and Steamship Landings, 1939-Present​
By Joseph P. Schwieterman, Lake Forest College Press, 2014. 300 pages. See details about our special $15 postpaid price below. 

Whether by road, rail, water, or sky . . . people come to Chicago. In droves. In waves of migration and immigration. For work and for play. But how do they get to Chicago? Terminal Town answers this question with a fast-moving history of Chicago’s many passenger transportation terminals. These have, for generations, served as defining features of the city’s cosmopolitan character. Showcasing great icons of transportation, including Chicago’s Union Station, Dearborn Station, and Midway and O’Hare airports, as well as lesser-known and long-gone terminals throughout the metropolitan region, this book illustrates why the Windy City so richly deserves its reputation as America’s premier travel hub.

Featuring 48 stations and terminals, each in a separate section, each having a description of their transportation role, photos, and for the larger railroad terminals, a historical map of passenger train routes.  With 215 color photographs and 20 custom maps, Terminal Town provides a fascinating portrait of the city’s famously complex and constantly changing transportation system. A link to the paper “Direct Air, Bus and Rail Service from Chicago to Other Major U.S. Cities: 1942 – Present” used to measure historical patterns is here.​

Advertised special! $15 postpaid, regularly $27.95 + shipping. The purchase link is here.​ After making the purchase, email your preferred U.S. address to chaddick@depaul.edu.  You can also mail a check payable to "Chaddick Institute" to Chaddick Institute, DePaul University, 14 E. Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL  60604. ​Also, use the above email address for other payment options or if you have questions. 

Beyond Burnham: An Illustrated History of Planning for the Chicago Region
By Joseph P. Schwieterman and Alan P. Mammoser, Edited by John A Schuler, Lake Forest Press, 2009

This lushly illustrated book provides a fascinating account of a century of visionary planning for metropolitan Chicago.  From Daniel H. Burnham and Edward H. Bennett's famed 1909 Plan of Chicago to the push for superhighways and airports to battles over urban sprawl, the book showcases an illustrated portrait of the big personalities and the "big plans" they espoused.

The human face of planning appears in the interplay between public officials and citizen advocates. Powerful institutions-the Chicago Plan Commission and Regional Transportation Authority, among others- emerge to promote metropolitan goals.  Some efforts succeed while others fail, but the work of planners lives on in efforts to shape new visions for the region's future.

Special price:  $12 postpaid (regular price $24.95). You can also mail a check payable to "Chaddick Institute" to Chaddick Institute, DePaul University, 14 E. Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL  60604. You can also pay via credit card by emailing chaddick@depaul.edu or calling 312.362.5731. We'll send a purchase link.​


DePaul Politics of Place book cover

The Politics of Place: A History of Zoning In Chicago
By Joseph P. Schwieterman and Dana Caspall, Edited by Jane Heron, Lake Claremont Press, 2006

The Politics of Place: A History of Zoning in Chicago reviews the interplay among development, planning, and zoning in the growth of the Gold Coast, the Central Area, and, more recently, massive "Planned Developments" such as Marina City, Illinois Center, and Dearborn Park. It tells the story of bold visions compromised by political realities, battles between residents and developers, and occasional misfires from City Council and City Hall.

What emerges is a fascinating, behind-the-scenes inspection of the evolving character of the city’s landscape. Schwieterman and Caspall recount the many planning innovations that have originated in Chicago, the complexities and intrigue of its zoning debates, and the recent adoption of a new zoning ordinance that promises to affect the city’s economy and image for years to come.​

Special price: $8 postpaid (regular price $22.39). You can also mail a check payable to "Chaddick Institute" to Chaddick Institute, DePaul University, 14 E. Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL  60604. You can also pay via credit card by emailing chaddick@depaul.edu or calling 312.362.5731.  We'll send a purchase link.

When the Railroad Leaves Town: American Communities in the Age of Rail Line Abandonment


DePaul When the RR Leaves Town book cover

Vol. II: "American Communities in the Age of Rail Line Abandonment: Western United States"

Thousands of miles of railroad routes steeped in history are now dusty trails bereft of their former significance. Rendered expendable by evolving market forces, these bygone corridors are testaments to the profound changes in the way we travel and conduct business."

When the Railroad Leaves Town" illustrates the circumstances surrounding the rise and fall of rail service in 58 western U.S. communities distinguished for their notable railroad histories. It tells the story of transportation providers struggling to survive and the legal battles and civic initiatives spurred by the abandonment of routes. Generously illustrated with maps and photographs depicting rail lines at their zenith and their abandoned remnants today, the book rekindles the saga of the Milwaukee Road, Pacific Electric, Rio Grande, Rock Island, and dozens of other "fallen flags" of the West. List of featured communities. Emendations and amplifications 

Advertised special! $8 postpaid (regular price $24.95). Please email chaddick@depaul.edu to purchase. Click here for the purchase link for credit card payments for one book.  To order both the East and West volumes ($16 postpaid, click here​.  You can also mail a check payable to "Chaddick Institute" to Chaddick Institute, DePaul University, 14 E. Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL  60604.   Once we receive credit card orders, we will follow up via email to get your U.S. mailing address.