Recent Debate:

Tuesday, February 28 at 6pm

LOCATION: Chicago Theatre,175 North State Street

AIA credit: 1

COST: FREE, but registration is required

Did you miss the program? You can view a video recording of the entire event on CAF's USTREAM channel. Click here to watch online!

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn has not yet signed Senate Bill 744, which provides for the creation of the Chicago Casino Development Authority, whose duties include promotion and maintenance of a casino. There are many contentious issues surrounding this bill--proponents for the casino state that it will provide needed jobs and keep the city of Chicago economically competitive.  Opposition to a Chicago casino is concerned about draining gaming revenue from other existing downstate locations and regulatory measures for a Chicago site. Whether  one is personally “for” or “against” the gaming bill, the design and location of a potential casino in Chicago should be debated as what it looks like and where it is located impacts its use, potential audience, and relationship to the city’s infrastructure. Tonight’s discussion will debate if Chicago gets a casino, where should it be and what should it look like. Can there be a casino design that is truly good for the urban environment? Can a casino be a catalyst for urban redevelopment? Where should a Chicago casino be located?

The Honorable Toni Preckwinkle, President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, will provide a brief introduction and welcome for our Chicago Casino Debate program. This casino debate program features Kimbal Goluska, Chicago Consultants Studio; Dennis Judd, Interim Director, Great Cities Institute Professor, Department of Political Science University of Illinois at Chicago, and John Norquist, President & CEO of Congress for the New Urbanism and Former Mayor of Milwaukee, together with moderator Edward Lifson and Chicago Reader Senior Writer Mick Dumke.

Chicago Debates are lively, passionate, no-holds-barred, real, thoughtful, solution-oriented conversations with audience participation. We'll take your questions during the event, and you can also follow on Twitter #ChicagoDebates.  The voting - and commenting - continues on this web site before and after the debate.  It's your forum.

If you care about our city, be a part of the debate.  If you care about the quality of life here, be a part of the debate.  Chicago Debates.