One might think that TIF is popular with Chicago citizens.
One would be wrong.
There is a Chicago group working hard to shine lights on 'dead-of-the-afternoon' political deals, and educate the public about complicated-by-design TIF processes.
Civiclab.us and TIFreports.com are their websites which contain data indicating the devastating effects TIF has on its community when deployed for the narrow benefit of aldermen and crony capitalists.
TIF in Illinois, if performed according to the spirit of TIF law as originated, and restricted to a few specific small projects, might theoretically be beneficial to the public at large. But in real life, Illinois TIF is conducted corruptly and with no regard for devastation of already overburdened taxpayers forced to subsidize 35 years of TIF freeriders.
Understanding TIF leads to a depthful comprehension of the malignant narcissism pervasive throughout the Illinois Government Industry. Understanding TIF is the beginning of taxpayer self-defense against the Illinois political industry.