BRT would actually be amazingly useful in Chicago because a massive number of people commute to central business district (The Loop).
Chicago owned all of the land used for the Loop link and it still cost $41 million, and has little of the benefits of actual BRT.
People here get incredibly upset when any road diet is discussed. Our politicians rarely ride public transit, and laws and engineering guidelines prevent projects which would reduce the volume of traffic carried. It's absurd.