Maps as Visual Resources
Maps of the Chicago cityscape and region help businesses visualize the layout of the land, understand networks and relationships, and understand access to assets and amenities. The Chicago Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), for example, is a 14-county area that includes 4 counties in Indiana as well as Kenosha County in Wisconsin.
The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) map below only represents a small piece of the 3,700-mile public transit network of trains & buses that connects nearly 2 million passengers daily throughout the Chicago region -- other services include Metra trains and Pace buses. The Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) has integrated transportation costs into an analysis of housing affordability throughout the Chicago region. By calculating various measures of what it calls “Location Efficiency,” CNT is able to evaluate the economic impacts of metropolitan Chicago's multi-modal transportation network.
Chicago is known for its some of the most culturally diverse neighborhoods in the United States, each of the over 200 communities with a unique identity. In addition to City and County governing bodies, the City of Chicago is divided into 50 legislative districts or "wards," one elected representative from each of which makes up the City of Chicago’s Council, who, with the Mayor of Chicago, are charged with governing the city.
