City In Review: Chicago

Near West Side · 2026-04

Near West Side crime falls 41%, permit value down $19M

Crime dropped 41% in April to 479 incidents, down from 813 the month before. Violent crime fell 45%, from 212 cases to 117. Permit count rose 18% to 127, but total dollar value slid 21% to $72 million, down from $92 million in March. Express permits led with 62 issued. New business licenses included a cluster of Alvarez & Marsal consulting entities and Courtyard by Marriott Chicago at Medical District/UIC, which added an outdoor patio. Service requests dropped 15% to 48,338. Most of those—46,452—were logged as information-only calls.

By the numbers

Building permits127
Declared construction value$72,186,679
New business licenses88
Business closings (proxy)0
311 service requests48338
Reported crimes479
Violent crimes117
Failed food inspections7

New businesses

Top permit types

Top 311 request types

Automated draft · verified against source · confidence 0.72. Spot a problem? Tell us.