Commentary and Analysis

Chicago's strategy to boost international tourism through partnerships, like Brazilian influencer Lucas Estevam, aims to attract diverse audiences with tailored experiences.

Reflecting a global trend, Chicago Loop retail vacancies hit a record 30%—most likely due to remote work—necessitating revival strategies.

James Harding, Matt Kaminski, and Anna Sauerbrey join Ivo Daalder to discuss the week's top news stories.

From Medellín to Chicago, digital nomads are on the rise, contributing significantly to the global economy. But locals worry these visitors are pricing them out.

Plenty of companies around Chicago talk, or at least dream, grandiosely about global expansion. Many never make it. This one did.

There is an elite group of people around the world willing to travel anywhere to see Shakespeare well done.

"The future of mankind will be dominated by 20 to 25 super-regions, with Chicago prominent among them," says Michael Fassnacht, who exits the economic development agency this month.

"Little Italy is no longer a thing,” says one restaurant operator. “It has come and gone.”

Chicago's transit system may need to make cuts and raise fares after COVID relief funds phase out, but riders won't likely see a systemic collapse like Venezuelan commuters experienced in the 2010s.

In the elite realm of haute cuisine where Alinea resides, the influence, name recognition, and drawing power of the restaurant extends well beyond Chicago to the dining capitals of the world.