Category Archives: Illumination Project

My Take On Just Economic Development

“The key to spreading prosperity, justice and opportunity across Chicago requires turning the page on old neoliberal market-based and clout-driven economic development programs. This was true long before coronavirus fallout clouded the financial picture for not just the city but the nation.

The first program that needs to bite the planning dust is tax-increment financing districts, which the rich and powerful have used to siphon billions of dollars of property tax revenues from important public needs, such as schools, parks and libraries.” Read the entire op-ed from the April 6, 2020 issue of Crain’s. If you agree with us that TIFs need to be ABOLISHED, join the campaign here.

Book Time With Tom

Use Square Appointments to secure a block of time with Tom to talk strategy, TIFs, civic engagement, innovation and social change or other matters.

http://tinyurl.com/Book-Tom-Tresser

Sign Our Petition – No New TIFs!

No New TIFs For Chicago!
Tax Increment Financing districts in Chicago are a BIG deal! In 2017 145 active TIFs extracted $493 million in property taxes and diverted that money FROM the units of local government that rely on property taxes to operate. Since TIFs came to Chicago in 1985 they have taken over $7 BILLION off the table.

“Chicago Is Not Broke” Book On Sale!

Wow! We did it. Or, I should say – 200 of you did it. Because that’s how many people chipped in to our crowdfunding campaign. The book “Chicago Is Not Broke. Funding the City We Deserve” is now available for purchase! Click here to order. Books ship out every few days so your wait will be brief.

You can get a discount if you order five copies or more. We’d LOVE to visit your organization, school or religious institution to do a presentation around the book and its ideas. Use the form below to contact us.

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Tom on CounterSpin – “Chicago is NOT broke!”

Listen to the 12 minute interview.

“Chicago Is Not Broke” Book Crowdfunding Project Live!

The next stage in the evolution of the TIF Illumination Project is here! Help us raise funds to publish “Chicago Is Not Broke. Funding the City We Deserve.” We’ve got the authors all lined up. Will you pitch in so we can publish 5,000 copies?

CLICK HERE to support Chicago Is Not Broke. Funding the City We Deserve

“TIF 101” Webinar in February – Only $10!

Want to get Illuminated? Attend this one hour “TIF 101” webinar on January 6. It’s free. Tom Tresser of the TIF Illumination Project, will present. Please purchase a seat via EventBrite:

Help The TIF Illumination Project Survive!

The CivicLab has closed but the TIF Illumination Project can survive and thrive. But only if YOU pitch in. Please contribute to our crowdfunding campaign today. Happy Birthday, America!

CLICK HERE to support The TIF Illumination Project

TIF Article in “Art Against the Law”

I’ve got an article in this collection, Art Against the Law called “The TIF Illumination Project and Civic Imagination.” We’re in excellent creative company!

The publication is part of a series from the Chicago Social Practice History Project from the School of the Art Institute.

“TIF Atlas” Now On Sale!

Now you can own the data that has been driving the TIF Illumination Project all over the city for the past 18 months! Download your very own “TIF Atlas of Chicago Wards” at the TIF Data Store.

We’re using the new ward maps and you’ll see the shapes and names of all the TIF districts as well as the projects funded by TIFs IN EACH WARD. The projects are numbered and all you have to do is look to the appendix in the back of the Atlas to see the name, address, developer and amount of TIF dollars that went to that project. BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE! We also plot on each ward map all the schools that were CLOSED or cut in 2013. In the back we list the closed schools and list all the cuts that we know of for each public school. More info: tom@civiclab.us.