A glow up for the Chicago Transit Authority

Better transit. Safer streets. Smarter Chicago. This is A Four Star Podcast. In the premiere edition of A Four Star Podcast, we dive into the nuts and bolts of urban survival in a city that often feels like it's working against its residents. Our thesis is simple: identifying the specific civic gears that are stuck and finding the practical, sometimes "guerrilla" solutions to grease them. We start with John Greenfield (Streetsblog Chicago) to discuss the "El Hygiene" crisis. From the "Halloween Miracle" that saved transit funding to the tactical urbanism of using hot dog cartoons to stop smokers on the Blue Line, we explore how to restore the CTA to its status as a world-class utility. Next, realtor Philip Schwartz pulls back the curtain on a bizarre spring real estate market that is punishing buyers. We analyze the BUILD Act and the legislative friction surrounding ADUs, alongside a warning for bungalow owners: your traditionally "dry" neighborhood is changing, and it might cost you $20,000 to stay above water. Finally, former CPD Superintendent Garry McCarthy joins us for a heated look at Senate Bill 3564. As Springfield looks to restrict facial recognition technology, McCarthy argues that we are legislating away the very tools that solve modern murders, leading to a "hand-shy" police force and a decline in public safety. Chapters 00:00 Cold Open 01:24 The CTA: The Quality of Life Value 05:28 Chicago Transit's Halloween Miracle 08:53 Be More Like Paris 10:38 Poodle Noodles & Politics 15:28 El Hygiene 101 17:58 The D.C. Blueprint 24:03 Guerrilla Urbanism to Stop Train Smoking 34:33 Road Diets 40:13 The Waymo Pace Car 50:28 Digging into the BUILD Act 56:53 The One-Stairwell Debate 01:03:38 Big Prices: Resetting the Market 01:10:08 How Sellers Put Pressure on Buyers 01:18:23 The Wealth Gap 01:30:38 Chicago's Basement Flooding Realities 01:34:13 Why Cops Need Facial Recognition Tech 01:39:53 Legislators Getting in the Way of Safety 01:47:38 The Ferguson Effect in Chicago 01:54:33 Final Watch Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices