Slovany

Slovany is a neighborhood in Southeastern Plzeň. It lies entirely within Plzeň 2, and is quite walkable and dense. The boundaries that seem to fit Slovany are the railroad tracks to the north, the Radbuza and Úhlava Rivers to the west, K Starým Valům, Nepomucká, V Polích, and Na Bořích to the south, and the Úslava River to the east. Within these boundaries, a lot of different housing types can be found, and within each a different social class or family type. Closest to the railroad tracks is the oldest part of the neighborhood, where turn of the century walk up apartment buildings with grand interior staircases dominate. All kinds of people live in this section of the city, particularly couples without children and pensioners. Businesses here consist mostly of corner stores and small shops, though I did notice an Albert supermarket on Koterovská, between Plzenecká and Sladkovského. Something interesting about most buildings throughout Slovany, though, is the lack of graffiti or peeling stucco and paint on walls. Most residences and businesses were in immaculate condition! Pedestrians are clearly treated with respect in Slovany, as even major roads, such as Slovanská or Koterovská, were narrow enough to slow cars down, and could be easily crossed. After the oldest zone nearest the railroad tracks comes the zone of paneláks. This zone is probably the most diverse, and is inhabited by people of all incomes and family sizes. These apartment blocks make up the bulk of Slovany's buildings, and are quite nice. They are not the tallest paneláks in Eastern Europe, but not the shortest either, with most being between five and ten stories tall, which makes them human scaled and visually appealing. The ugly gray concrete of the buildings is painted over here, but not all of them were just painted in vertical or horizontal stripes of color like in Praha. Some had more organic patterns of color, some had diagonal stripes across the building, and one building was even painted to look like rays of a setting sun! This not only makes the buildings more visually interesting than if they were still in the original gray color, but also gives residents a sense of place. People can now say things like, "yeah, I live in the bright green one with gray diagonal stripes," instead of, "I live at 94 Koterovská". The third and final zone in Slovany is the zone of single family houses and two to three story walk up apartments that lie on the border with Černice, a district at the edge of the city. Homes here were nice looking, though more sidewalks are definitely needed. While most Slavic cities suffer from bad bicycle connections, most of Plzeň (other than Vnitřní Město) actually has a well developed network of high quality protected bike lanes that offer direct paths to many areas of the city, including Slovany. The main improvement I would make to the bike network is adding a few smaller, less elaborate, unprotected bike lanes for short rides within the neighborhood, particularly on roads that don't go towards the city center. Transit in Slovany is really good, with České Drahy providing intercity and regional service from Plzeň Hlavní Nádraží and Plzeň-Koterov. Local transportation is provided by PMDP, which operates trams, buses, and trolleybuses within Slovany, Plzeň, and most nearby villages. Frequent tram routes 1 and 2, frequent trolleybus routes 12 and 13, and frequent bus route 30 serve Slovany, as well as infrequent trolleybus routes 10 and 14, and infrequent bus routes 22, 23, 29, 31, 35, 51 and 57.

Vnitřní Město

Vnitřní Město, or "Inner City" in English, is the geographic and commercial center of Plzeň, as well as its oldest part. The city was first granted a civic charter by King Václav II in 1295, and some buildings in this part of the city are really that old. I would define Vnitřní Město s the Mže River to the north, the Radbuza River to the east, Americká to the south, and Sady Pětatřicátníků to the north. Dominating the district is the Church of Saint Bartholomew, which has the tallest spire in all of the Czech Republic. Other interesting sites include the Pilsner Beer Museum, the network of underground tunnels built in the Middle Ages for storage and shelter, the old water tower, plague column, and town hall. The small neighborhood remains fairly mixed income, and the architecture in the neighborhood is visually appealing, and each building is slightly different from the next. Businesses also vary quite a lot, as this is the commercial heart of the city. So, in addition to restaurants and cafés, shoe stores and tea shops can be found on the ground floors of buildings as well. Almost all residential buildings are older, from between the Middle Ages to the 1920s and 1930s. Of note is the fact that sidewalks here are made of very large, flat stones, instead of the more traditional cobblestone sidewalks in city centers of most other large Czech cities. The main things I would suggest would be a conservation district, if one is not already in place, to protect this part of the city's historical character, and also some bicycle improvements. A unique feature of Plzeň's Vnitřní Město is its gridded streets, which most other Czech old towns don't have. This would mean that bike improvements that were put in place on side streets would still get people to their destinations quickly and efficiently.

Dejvice

Dejvice is a wealthy neighborhood in Praha 6, in between Prague's main airport and the city center. The neighborhood's main square, which is really more of a large traffic circle, Vítězné Náměstí, functions as an important transit hub and the heart of all of Praha 6. Around Vítězné Náměstí, upscale apartments and businesses exist, catering to middle and upper class citizens of Prague. Businesses here include fancy restaurants, convenience stores and markets, and other, miscellaneous shops, such as stationery stores. Businesses also exist in other parts of Dejvice, but there aren't as many, and they are almost all supermarkets, convenience stores, and neighborhood restaurants and bars. In terms of housing, older, 1920s era apartments dominate in the center of the neighborhood, and towards Bubeneč and Podbaba. Newer, 1950s through 1980s era paneláks line Evropská towards Veleslavín, Vokovice, and Liboc. Towards Hanspaulka and Horoměřice, large, but still pedestrian friendly and urban, villas built in the First Republic line most streets. Most of central Dejvice actually looks a little like Paris, with its boulevards, luxurious newer apartments, and boulevards. These parts of Dejvice were designed by Czech architect Antonín Engel. In addition to wealthier Czechs and expats, Dejvice also attracts students due to the presence of a few universities within its borders. I would mostly propose better bike infrastructure for the neighborhood, as well as more affordable housing. The area is served by many transit lines, including some Esko routes via Praha-Dejvice. Tram routes 5, 8, 20, and 26 all serve Dejvice with frequent service, and Line A of the Praha Metro also serves Dejvice via the Dejvická and Bořislavka stations. Metrobus routes 107, 131, 143, and 180, in addition to regular bus routes 116, 147, 160, 161, and 168, as well as regional bus routes, all serve Dejvice as well.

Staré Město & Josefov

Staré Město (Old Town) is the oldest part of Praha on the right bank of the Vltava River. Historically the Czech part of Prague, Staré Město was originally formed out of settlements surrounding a marketplace in the 9th century. Staré Město's boundaries are where the city walls and moat used to exist, which are the roads Revoluční, Na Příkopě, and Národní, as well as the Vltava River. Much like in Malá Strana, working class locals are all but absent from the apartments here, as gentrification is in full swing in these parts of Praha. So, I would suggest that new construction, or apartment renovations, that are done in Staré Město or Josefov be required to include some subsidized units. The area is very walkable and transit friendly, but biking in this part of the city is all but impossible, so I would also add some asphalt bike lanes on some streets. Much like in Hradčany there is no street grid at all, and most streets are short and very narrow. A lot of Prague's tourist attractions are in Staré Město, such as the Church of Our Lady before Týn, Old Town Square, the Charles Bridge, the Old Town Hall, and the Prague Astronomical Clock (Pražský Orloj). Businesses are not very varied, with most catering to tourists, and consisting of gift shops, travel agency windows, and restaurants, which means that residents who want, say, milk and eggs, must leave the neighborhood to get such simple commodities. The neighborhood is served by many transit options, including Metro Line A, many tram routes, and a few infrequent and frequent (Metrobus) bus routes. Josefov, the former Jewish area of the city, is an enclave in the northwestern part of Old Town. Today, the area is basically an extension of Old Town, with very few Jewish people still residing in the neighborhood. Most businesses in Josefov are luxury clothing stores, which means that Josefov, along with Anděl and Vinohrady, is one of the main shopping districts in Praha. Some historical landmarks are in the neighborhood as well, such as the Old New Synagogue. Housing stock in both areas used to be quite run down, but most buildings have now been covered in bright, new stucco and have been renovated.

Hradčany

Hradčany is a neighborhood in Praha 1, near Malá Strana. The name basically means "castle district", due to the face that it was built in the area immediately surrounding Prague Castle. Although many areas can quite touristy, apartments here are still affordable, and many are owned or rented by middle class, longtime residents, unlike in nearby Malá Strana or Staré Město. The boundaries of the area that seem to be right to me are Milady Horákové to the north, Chotkova to the east, the many gardens southeast of the castle, Ke Hradu, Úvoz, and Dlabačov to the south, and Na Malovance and Patočkova to the west. Housing consists almost entirely of older apartment buildings, some of which are mixed-use. Most of these buildings are about 5 stories tall, though some are shorter, particularly on Nový Svět. There is virtually no streetgrid, and most streets are extremely narrow, winding lanes, which makes driving nearly impossible. Consequentially, the area is very walkable, and has a high proportion of transit users. Most of the neighborhood is situated on a hill, and many parks and tourist attractions are in this district, such as Pražský Hrad, Katedrála Svatého Víta, the Loreta, and Královský Letohrádek. Businesses are a mix of gift shops and tourist-oriented restaurants and things like convenience stores, grocery stores, and bars. I would suggest instituting rent control for some, but not all, properties in the neighborhood, as well as creating more pedestrian connections across Jelení Příkop in a north-south manner. Transit in the area is quite good, with Hradčanská station on Line A of the Praha Metro being the main transit hub. In addition to Line A, the arterial tram segment of the 1 and 25 also serves the station, as do frequent tram routes 5, 8, 18, 20, and 26. Metrobus routes 131 and 184, as well as night buses and trams, also serve Hradčanská. The Praha-Dejvice railway station, located on the boundary of Hradčany and Dejvice, serves Esko trains, and regional buses stop at Hradčanská as well. Arterial tram route 22, Metrobus routes 143 and 180, and standard bus route 168 all serve other parts of the neighborhood. I would also suggest adding more bike lanes in the area. 

Holešovice

Holešovice is a formally very industrial neighborhood in Praha 7. The area has a lot of good transit connections, including the arterial tram segment 1 and 25, as well as the arterial tram route 17. In addition to this, minor, but frequent, tram routes 8, 12, 14, 24, and 26. Metrobus route 112, as well as standard bus routes 156 and 201. Most importantly, Nádraží Holešovice and Vltavská stations on Line C serve the neighborhood. In addition to this, Esko routes R4, S4, and S41 connect to Line C at Nádraží Holešovice, and route S5 serves Nádraží Bubny in central Holešovice. My main transit suggestion would be to remove the park and ride at Nádraží Holešovice, as it uses up valuable land in an urban, walkable neighborhood without need for it. Another, more minor, suggestion I have is to improve the transit connections at Strossmayerovo Náměstí. Although a major transit hub, the area is currently little more than some tram stops. I would suggest expanding the platforms, widening the sidewalks, and putting in enhanced shelters with LED information screens at each stop on the square. Anyway, Holešovice itself is quite nice nowadays, and is dominated by the Church of Saint Anthony of Padua. Businesses in Holešovice are quite varied, with many convenience stores, markets, and bars scattered throughout Holešovice, especially near Strossmayerovo Náměstí. In addition to these neighborhood businesses, there is still a fairly strong industrial base, especially along Bubenské Nábřeží. The National Gallery in Prague, as well as the Holešovice Exhibition Hall, are both located here as well. Housing stock is made up mostly of older apartments from the 18th to early 20th century, with less elaborate, more simple outsides than in, for example, Malá Strana. However, there are also a few paneláks and newer apartments as well. A big problem is the many surface parking lots in the area, especially in the southeastern corner of the neighborhood. I would propose turning these spaces into parks, but more interactive and playful than the formal French gardens which Praha has enough of already. Interactive fountains and playgrounds could help draw in children, and seating designed for social interaction and spreading out could be made for their parental guardians. In addition to this, a small area with large, mature trees for sitting and people watching would be a welcome addition to the neighborhood, as well as possibly a small skate park or something like that, if space permitted, as I saw no skate parks in the entire city of Praha during my two and a half week stay there. A really great, vibrant neighborhood with a close proximity to the Old Town.

Kobylisy

Kobylisy is a lower middle to upper middle class neighborhood in Praha 8. The area is effectively made up of two separate neighborhoods, Ďáblice and Kobylisy. Ďáblice is an area with lots of paneláks, whereas Kobylisy is an older area of duplexes and walk up apartments. So, I would propose splitting them into two areas along Čumpelíková. Kobylisy is also home to the Kobylisy Shooting Range, a place where many Czechoslovaks were murdered by Nazis during World War II. Housing consists mostly of duplexes and houses built during the First Republic, though some walk up apartments are present as well, mostly on Klapkova and near the Kobylisy Metro Station on Line C. A few paneláks line Horňátecká and Pod Sídlištěm, but otherwise aren't very numerous in Kobylisy proper. One really nice thing to see in the area is that arterial roads are much more pedestrian friendly than many other large roads in Praha. Sidewalks are wide, crosswalks frequent, and speed limits low on most of these roads, except for Horňátecká. The many types of housing in Kobylisy help create a fairly diverse area, and a lively transit hub. In addition to Line C, the 3, 10, and 17 trams stop at Kobylisy, all with frequent service. Frequent, "Metrobus" routes 102, 144, 177, 183, and 200, standard city bus routes 152, 162, and 169, and regional bus routes 370, 371, 372, 373, and 374 also serve Kobylisy Station. And that's just the daytime services! In addition to routes serving Kobylisy Station, Metrobus route 136 and standard bus route 295 also serve the neighborhood, though not the station proper. Apartments on Klapkova and near Kobylisy Station usually include ground level commercial space, which gives the neighborhood gathering places, such as little markets and restaurants. Bigger commercial spaces, such as banks and computer stores, are near Kobylisy Station. The main suggestion I have for Kobylisy would be to establish some sort of historic district or the like for some, but not all, of the duplexes and homes built during the First Republic, as their proximity to a metro station could cause them to be destroyed. Finally, I would add bike lanes on Horňátecká, which is definitely wide enough for them.

Vokovice

Vokovice is a medium density area in Praha 6, which is in the space in between Divoká Šárka and Evropská across from Veleslavín. Thanks to the recent extension of Line A of the Prague Metro from Dejvická to Nemocnice Motol, Vokovice is now in a much more central and connected position transit wise, with the 119 and 142 Metrobus (frequent bus) routes and the 20 and 26 tram routes (both frequent) serving the neighborhood. However, the main transit line serving Vokovice is Line A via the Nádraží Veleslavín station, from which one can get to the city center in a mere ten minutes! Also, the 119 goes straight to Václav Havel Airport Prague, which makes Vokovice just one ride away from the airport. Vokovice's main artery, Evropská, has fast moving traffic and some automobile oriented businesses, but is still fairly easy to cross and has ample sidewalks, as well as some pedestrian oriented buildings. The rest of Vokovice is extremely walkable, with narrow streets, ample sidewalk, and businesses and residences fronting the street. A lot of types of housing can be found in Vokovice, which allows one to "age in place", and makes the neighborhood fairly diverse. Larger houses and villas, duplexes, older townhouses, walk up apartments, newer high rise apartments, and Cold War era Paneláks can all be seen on Vokovice's streets. Businesses also vary quite a bit. On Evropská, formerly Leninová, larger businesses such as supermarkets and car dealerships can be found. In other areas of Vokovice, businesses such as convenience stores, neighborhood markets, and florists are mixed in between the residential properties. I would suggest adopting some new building requirements for new businesses on Evropská to make them more pedestrian friendly, and lowering Evropská's speed limit as a more short term solution. In addition, I would add bike lanes to Evropská, and to other roads in Vokovice, such as V Středu from Divoká Šárka (where the lanes would connect to existing bike paths) to Vokovická. The last place I would add bike lanes would be from Půlkruhová to V Středu on Na Lužci, which would then continue from V Středu to Evropská on V Nových Vokovicích.

Malá Strana

Malá Strana, or Lesser Quarter/Side in English, is the historically German piece of Prague situated on the left bank of the Vltava River, or Moldau River in English. Founded in 1257, the neighborhood grew rapidly after the building of the Charles Bridge connecting Malá Strana and Staré Město, which allowed for quick and easy travel to the city center. Housing dates mostly from the 17th and 18th centuries, and is in the baroque style. Almost all buildings are medium density and mixed use walk-up apartment buildings. The neighborhood is mostly built on a hill which slopes down toward the commercial district at Malostranské Náměstí and Karlův Most. In the center of Malostranské Náměstí lies an impressive baroque church, Kostel Svatého Mikuláše. One thing which is a real problem in the neighborhood is the displacement of many locals due to rising rent prices as tourists move into the neighborhood. This needs to be fixed by instituting rent control for residents that still reside in the neighborhood, and have so since before 1990. One nice thing is the many various designs and colors on all the buildings, and the pleasant parks in the area, which range from forests to formal gardens. Businesses, however, are not very diverse, with few options to buy basic essentials and fresh produce, but lots of gift shops and restaurants. Many of the Czech government buildings, such as the senate building, are in Malá Strana as well. The neighborhood is not very bike friendly, but is quite transit friendly, with the 5, 6, 9, 12, 18, 20, and 22 trams all running through Malá Strana, the 192 bus running entirely in Malá Strana, and line A of the Praha Metro stopping at Malostranská. Biking in the area remains a challenge, however. To fix this, I would create designated "bike corridors"along less busy, narrow roads unsuitable for cars anyway.

Chicago Public Transport

Greater Chicago, or Chicagoland, is served by the Regional Transit Authority, or RTA, and is made up of three parts. Pace, the bus system for suburban Chicago, Metra, the suburban commuter rail system, and the CTA, for travel within Chicago and adjacent urban suburbs.

The CTA Green Line is one of the more interesting lines in the system. Created in 1993 by combining two less used pieces of track, the Green Line sees about 65,000 riders per weekday, the fourth busiest CTA rail ("L") route. The line utilizes some of the oldest pieces of track in the system, and is the only line that doesn't circle the Loop and go back outbound. From Harlem/Lake, the line runs along the Metra tracks to just before Laramie, when it goes above Lake Street until State/Lake. This piece of the line is unusual because in Chicago, most pieces of the L operate over alleys parallel to major roads, not over the road itself. After leaving the Loop, the line runs over alleys on the South Side until after Garfield, when the line splits in two. The East 63rd Branch goes over 63rd Street to Cottage Grove, and the Englewood Branch goes over alleys to Ashland. The whole line was rebuilt in 1993, and along with the rebuilding seven stations were closed. A big problem in my opinion is the horrendous frequencies on the two branches, and large gaps between stations in some places. While the main piece has 10 minute weekday and 12 minute weekend daytime frequencies, each branch has only 20 minute weekday and 24 minute weekend frequencies! To solve this, I would propose routing all Green Line trains via the Englewood Branch, and making the East 63rd Branch operate with shuttle service from Garfield to Cottage Grove. While this would force Cottage Grove and King customers to make an additional transfer at Garfield, it would allow for increased frequencies on the branch. The line operates with the newest rolling stock in the system, the 5000 series, which are my personal favorite. Though the general public dislikes the seating layout on them, I quite like the aisle facing, or bench, seats. I think that the addition of infill stations at Western, 26th, State, Princeton, and Racine would help boost ridership, and spur development. At Princeton, a passage to 63rd on the Red Line would be built. I would also propose extending the line from Cottage Grove to Dorchester, with an intermediate stop at University. At Dorchester, a passage would extend from the station to the 63rd Street Station, which serves the Metra Electric Main Line, South Chicago Branch, and Blue Island Branch, as well as the South Shore Line. A bus transfer facility for routes 6 Jackson Park Express, 15 Jeffery Local, 28 Stony Island, and 63 63rd would be constructed as well, in addition to pedestrian and cyclist improvements and a Divvy station. Finally, I would propose extending the line from Ashland to Midway, with stops at Damen, Western, California, Kedzie, Central Park, and Pulaski. A minor quibble I have with the line is the fact that park n' rides exist at Ashland and at Garfield, which should be destroyed and replaced with transit oriented development in my opinion. Of note is the two new stations that have opened in recent years on the line, Morgan and Cermak-McCormick Place. Morgan opened in 2012 on the shared Green/Pink Line alignment on the Near West Side, and Cermak-McCormick Place opened on the Near South Side earlier this year. This time, I only used the latter station, which appeared very nice. The station has three entrances, the main one being on the north side of Cermak, and auxiliary ones on the south side, as well as at 23rd. The station is very nice, with good signage, two ADA accessible entrances, and ample bike parking. A large cylindrical metal roof thing protects customers from wind and rain in the central piece of the platform, and smaller canopies on the outer pieces of the platform keep rain from assaulting customers waiting there. A Divvy station is located next to the bike parking on the south side of Cermak, and the #21 Cermak serves the station directly. In addition, the #29 State serves the station from about half a block away on State Street. An interesting line, with lots and lots of potential!
The CTA Brown Line is the third busiest L route, with about 106,000 riders per weekday. The line is also the busiest of the traditional "L" routes. The line serves several hipster neighborhoods, and, as I have said before, is humorously known as the "Cappuccino Line" by some. The line is served entirely by the 3200 series cars, which are beginning to look very dated, and have an odd seating layout, with not many aisle facing (bench) seats, but still better than the even older 2400 and 2600 series cars. After circling the Loop in a counterclockwise manner, Brown Line trains cross the Chicago River at Wells Street, and begins its journey north on the North Side Main Line. From the Loop to Armitage, the ride is quite slow, though the CTA has begun to rebuild this segment of track, which should help alleviate this issue. At Armitage, the Brown Line runs on Local tracks to Belmont, when it veers westward onto the Ravenswood Branch. Afterwards, the line speeds up quite a bit, and stays on an elevated line until Western, when it descends to grade level right up to its terminus at Kimball. Most stations feature side platforms, and have been recently renovated to allow for eight car trains to run on the line. Some of the stations in the Loop are quite old looking and are in bad need of renovation. The most dilapidated Loop stations in my opinion are LaSalle/Van Buren, Adams/Wabash, and State/Lake. Though Randolph/Wabash and Madison/Wabash could use a renovation, they are both being replaced by a new station at Washington/Wabash anyway, so it doesn't really matter if they are renovated, and Madison/Wabash is already closed for the new station's construction. North of the Loop, all stations have been recently renovated, and are quite nice. I would propose an infill station at Division, as well as the construction of the Belmont Flyover to allow for faster access to Belmont Station for Brown Line trains. However, the Belmont Flyover would mean that some buildings would be demolished, so I think that the CTA would then have to finance the building of new, pedestrian friendly buildings in their place. Finally, I would propose that the Brown Line be extended to Jefferson Park to connect with Metra commuter rail, the CTA Blue Line, many CTA bus lines, and some Pace bus lines. This would mean elevating the line west of Western, and constructing the line as an elevated over Lawrence west of the current Kimball Station, with new stops at Pulaski and Elston. At the Kennedy Expressway, the line would leave Lawrence and join the current Blue Line tracks until its endpoint at Jefferson Park. A more short term proposal I would also make is the demolishing of the park n' ride at Kimball to make room for new buildings and the Kimball Yard expansion.
The CTA Blue Line is another unique line, with about 171,000 riders per weekday. The line contains almost none of the original elevated alignment that characterizes the Chicago "L", and instead runs in subways and in the median of expressways for most of its long run through Chicago's Northwest Side, the Loop, and back out to the West Side again. Starting at O'Hare, the line runs underground to the Kennedy Expressway, and then stops at Rosemont, Cumberland, and Harlem. All of these stations feature transit centers and park n' rides, and were opened at the same time. Only Rosemont and Cumberland have justifiable park n' rides, due to the suburban and not very walkable character of Rosemont, and the lack of business or many bus connections at Cumberland. Harlem, however, has a small park n' ride anyway, far more businesses in the surrounding area, higher density development, and is more walkable, so I would propose the removal of the park n' ride there. From Jefferson Park to Addison, the line continues in the median of the Kennedy Expressway, but has stops that are much closer together, opened earlier, and without park n' rides. Jefferson Park features a large transit center, but Montrose, Irving Park, and Addison do not. From here, the line runs into a short, two station subway under Kimball and Milwaukee Avenues, the only one outside of the Loop. This piece of the line has two stations, Belmont and Logan Square, both of which feature transit centers. Afterwards, the line ascends to run on the last piece of traditional elevated line, from California to Damen with an intermediate stop at Western, and in an alley parallel to Milwaukee. After Damen, the line goes underground from Division to Clinton in the Milwaukee-Dearborn-LaSalle Subway, with a continuous platform from Washington to Jackson under Dearborn Street. After Clinton all the way to Forest Park, the line runs in the median of the Eisenhower Expressway. This stretch of the line is quite slow, so I would definitely propose modernizing the tracks here, in addition to the "Your New Blue" program modernizing the O'Hare branch's tracks. Stations located in the expressway medians on branches are quite spartan and a little noisy on the platform, so better screens to close riders off from the cars on both sides would be a nice addition. I would also propose reopening the three abandoned Forest Park branch stations at Central, Kostner, and California, as well as the abandoned auxiliary exits at Lavergne (Cicero) and Keeler (Pulaski). In addition, I think that an infill station at Nagle would be a good idea, as well as getting the line new trains, as right now the second-busiest "L" line uses some of the oldest trains. Finally, I would propose that some weekday rush hour Blue Line trains start at Jefferson Park and make all stops until Racine, when they would climb to the Pink Line tracks, and stop at 18th, Western, Pulaski, and 54th/Cermak.

The CTA Yellow Line is much the same as my last visit to the city. The short, three station line has a lot of potential ridership wise, but due to the lack of infill stations along the denser parts of its route the line has very low ridership, with only about 6,000 riders per weekday! The line was created in 1964 on the route of the former Niles Center Branch, but with only two stations at Howard and Dempster. A large (for the time) park n' ride was created at Dempster, and the line was operated as a temporary experiment. However, the line soon outpaced the ridership projections and became a permanent addition to the CTA system. However, the Village of Skokie has begun to try and urbanize and invest in its downtown, and consequentially opened a station at Oakton in 2012. The line is operated at fairly good frequencies, but doesn't run very late into the night. The line is run with exclusively 5000 series cars in two car arrangements, which are often fairly crowded for a three station branch! At Oakton and Dempster, transfer to a few bus lines is available, and a large bus terminal is present at Howard. Personally, I would suggest building infill stations at Asbury and Crawford to start with, and possibly at Dodge in the far future. An extension to Old Orchard would help provide many connections with bus lines and a major shopping center, so this would be a good idea as well in my opinion.
The CTA Orange Line is also much the same as it was in my last visit. The newest major addition to the CTA system, the line is run with 2600 and 3200 series cars, and has about 57,000 riders each weekday. The line's stations are spaced fairly far apart, and it is quite clear that the main purpose of the line is to link Midway Airport with the Loop. However, the infill stations do see fairly high ridership, so this is OK. All stations on the line past Roosevelt feature large bus terminals, and all the stations feature nice architecture and design. Due to its recent construction, the line is quite fast and features a very smooth ride. One thing that I commend the CTA on is the wise choice to place the line on the railroad right of way, instead of in the median of the Stevenson Expressway, as putting "L" lines in highway medians often isolates them from the neighborhoods they are intended to serve. Audio announcements on the line, as with the rest of the CTA's buses and trains, was amazing, with clear announcements at every station announcing nearly everything one needs to know, though announcing connecting buses would be nice. I would propose infill stations on the line at Cermak, 43rd, and California, as well as extending the line to Ford City (79th), with an intermediate stop at Marquette. I also would strongly recommend the removal of all park n' rides along the line, with the smaller ones at Halsted, 35th/Archer, and Kedzie being turned into small buildings, such as health clinics, walk up apartments, or restaurants, and the larger ones at Western, Pulaski, and Midway being turned into full scale mixed use development. Finally, I would add a Metra station for the Heritage Corridor Line at 35th/Archer to create a transit center there.
The CTA Red Line is by far the centerpiece of the entire CTA's transit system, if not the whole RTA's. Carrying around 252,000 passengers every weekday, 365 days a year, the line runs much of the length of the city, from the city limits at Howard Avenue all the way to 95th Street on the South Side. Because of this, extremely frequent service is offered seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Even at 2:00 AM on a Monday, one would still wait no more than 15 minutes for a train. The line is operated with eight car trains, most of which are 5000 series cars, though some 2600 cars still run on the line. The southern terminus of the line, 95th, is home to a very large transit center, with many frequent CTA and Pace buses stopping here before going to points north, south, east, and west. Currently, this transit center is in the process of being rebuilt and modernized, as the station is the busiest in the system. From 95th to Sox-35th, the line runs in the median of the Dan Ryan Expressway. around 27th Street, the line rises out of the expressway to stop at Cermak-Chinatown. This entire segment of track from Cermak-Chinatown to 95th was renovated in late 2013 as part of the Red-Purple Modernization plan. These vital renovations help save South Side residents up to 20 minutes on there commute, and newer, better, wheelchair-accessible South Side stations. After Cermak-Chinatown, the line goes underground to stop at Roosevelt, where transfer to Green and Orange Line trains is possible via a series of walkways. Afterwards, trains stop at the recently renovated Harrison Station, before traveling into the heart of the Loop to stop at the three (formerly four) Loop stations on the Red Line's long platform from Lake to Jackson under State Street. At Jackson, transfer is available to Blue Line trains via an underpass, and to Brown, Purple, Pink, and Orange Line trains via a short walk on the surface. at Lake, transfer is available to Brown, Purple, Pink, Orange, and Green Line trains via another short surface walk. from Lake, the line continues in a subway to North/Clybourn. Stations in this section have all been renovated fairly recently, but still look quite shabby, so something must be done about this immediately, such as taking out the ugly center wall between the side platforms at three of the four stations. From just past North/Clybourn, the line runs above ground over the North Side Main Line all the way to its terminus at Howard. From Fullerton to Belmont, the line runs on express tracks, and then on local tracks from Belmont to Howard, as the center tracks begin as the local tracks, but become express tracks after Belmont, and the line never leaves these center tracks. Stations on this northern segment are generally in good repair, although some are in bad need of renovation, such as Sheridan. As far as proposals for the line, work is being done on extending the line south to 130th Street, as well as constructing a new express/local interchange at Wilson, and modernizing the Lawrence, Argyle, Berwyn, and Bryn Mawr. However, I would propose a radical new plan for the North Side "L" Routes. First, the Red Line local trains would operate from 95th (eventually 130th) to Howard, with some trains losing six of their eight cars and continuing on to Dempster, replacing the current Yellow Line. The Purple Line of today would be replaced with Red Line Express, which would run all stops from Linden to Howard, and then use express tracks from Howard to Armitage, with intermediate stops at either Morse or Loyola, or possibly both, Bryn Mawr, Wilson, possibly Sheridan, Belmont, and Fullerton. Afterwards, express trains would make all stops from North/Clybourn to Roosevelt, except Monroe and Washington, if it is ever reopened, which it should. These express trains would run seven days a week, with very frequent service.
The CTA 49B North Western bus is a nice, medium ridership line that runs from Western & Howard to the Western Brown Line station, and gets about 5,800 riders a day, not bad for such a short route. The line runs with New Flyer D40LFs, which are a little noisy for my taste and should be replaced by hybrid buses as soon as possible. A good thing about the route is it only travels along Western Avenue, creating a very direct service for people living in the diverse West Ridge area. The line sees a large weekend ridership as well, and many people use the line for short trips in their neighborhood, not only for going further into the city. This means that the bus stops quite often to let people on and off, which can make the ride slow. Audio announcements on the line are quite good, but do not announce connecting bus lines, so I feel this should be added. Bus stops are quite nice, featuring the line name, a short route map, destination, and a general hours of operation table. At shelters, benches and a system map are provided as well. Seating in the bus is mostly aisle, so with the next order of buses to run on the line more bench seats should be included. I would propose consolidating some stops so as to speed up the ride, as well as curtailing the 49 Western at Western Brown Line as to reduce duplication from Western Station to Berwyn. Finally, an extension into Evanston via Asbury, Church, Sherman, and Davis to serve the Davis Purple Line station and future Asbury Yellow Line station would be useful.
The CTA 49 Western bus is the second busiest route in the CTA's bus system, and operates 24/7 with very frequent service. The line sees about 29,000 riders per weekday, and runs with New Flyer D40LFs, as well as both new and old NovaBus LFS buses. Personally, I much prefer the LFSs to the D40LFs, but both lack a suitable amount of bench seats, especially for such a busy route. The 49 serves a fairly dense and transit friendly corridor from its southern terminus at 79th to its northern terminus at Berwyn, and functions as a very important crosstown bus, connecting CTA bus, CTA rail, and Metra lines together. Many bus stops feature shelters, and some shelters feature digital next bus indicators. Weekend ridership is fairly high as well, with people getting on and off at almost every stop, and consequentially I would propose stop consolidation for the line immediately to help speed up the corridor. The line is also very direct, never leaving Western Avenue along its entire route, except to serve bus loops at 79th, Western Orange Line, and Berwyn. I feel like short term fixes could be to consolidate stops, as mentioned previously, increase frequencies, and curtail the line's northern end at Western Brown Line, instead of Berwyn. I would also propose replacing Pace route 349 South Western with a CTA route 49A South Western, and increasing frequencies along the line. In the long run, the Western Avenue BRT should help alleviate congestion on the 49, which will mean that frequencies can be decreased, and the BRT can become the more frequent, busy route in the corridor, while also offering a faster travel time.
I am really sorry for how long it has taken me to finish my Chicago entries, and if anyone actually reads these I thank you for your patience!