One City, 50 Wards

Chicago is at a crossroads, and Chicagoans don’t know where to turn. 

Every day, we encounter seemingly intractable, intersecting problems: both of policy—from gun violence and racial inequality to economic uncertainty and educational inequity—and of politics—from corruption and lack of accountability to political posturing and brinkmanship.

These challenges weigh on us, particularly as our city approaches a critical election just six months away. They leave us feeling frustrated and disillusioned, at the mercy of ineffective leadership, and resigned to endless complexity and the status quo. As we prepare to enter the ballot box, it can feel like our choice isn’t a choice at all.

But there’s more to the story. We and our elected leaders too often neglect the ways in which the construction of our local government locks us into the political and policy realities. These realities consume our attention and constrain our ability to effectively address our city’s challenges—and realize its full potential. 

We are accustomed to taking as a given the design of our city council—one that carves up our city into 50 wards with an equal number of independently-elected aldermen working industriously and parochially to benefit local constituents. We forget that in fact, our political institutions are malleable, and that our way of doing things isn’t everybody’s way. Other cities can provide models, as well as cautionary tales. Rules can be changed, institutions can be recast, and the very fabric of our city government can be reshaped.

But to do all that, we need to start a conversation: one with leaders, with experts, and with you. That’s why Crain’s Chicago Business and the University of Chicago’s Center for Effective Government have joined forces for an extended series, One City, 50 Wards: Does "The City That Works" Actually Work?. Through deeply reported news articles, op-eds from key Chicago voices, events throughout the community, and social media, this series aims to unpack the complex connections between how city government is designed, how it functions, and how it performs so we can make the tough choices about how we move forward as a city, in the 2023 election and beyond. 

Yes, this series examines our city’s system of governance through a critical lens. But it does so with an eye towards solutions. We look to local leaders, experts, and other cities not for pie-in-the-sky ideas, but for practical, creative, research-backed ways to make our city government more effective. And along the way, we’ll offer not just a single cure-all, but an array of options worth your time, consideration, and investment.