Friday, May 30, 2008

The Plans of Chicago -- Past, Present, & Future


Nearly 150 years ago, the Great Chicago Fire brought this city to its knees. Soon thereafter, a team of visionaries, led by Daniel Burnham, crafted The Plan of Chicago, which was part of The City Beautiful Movement. Some aspects of the Plan were realized, but others didn't make it. Among the many excellent aspects of the plan which were realized include completion of Chicago's Boulevard System (also called Chicago's "Emerald Necklace"), downtown Chicago's Museum Campus, and Lake Shore Drive. One idea in the Plan that didn't make it was the Civic Center, illustrated by Jules Guerin; the illustration looks like Plastic Man stretched the U.S. Capitol Building.

Artists, activists, and people of different walks of life have worked individually and collectively to help realize a vision of Chicago as as great city. Jane Addams is an amazing Chicagoan who helped to make this city great and more livable for its people. Many artists working in a range of media have lived in Chicago, and many art groups have been founded / developed in Chicago, including Sun Ra, the AACM, Gwendolyn Brooks, Saul Bellow, Nelson Algren, Lorraine Hansberry, the Chicago Surrealists, the Chicago Imagists, and others.

There are lots of plans for Chicago's future, including those being organized by Chicago Metropolis 2020, the Chicago Plan Commission, Chicago's bid to host the 2016 Olympics, and a campaign to raise money to build a weather-shielding dome over Chicago. What other plans are being envisioned and implemented? What can we do to ensure that the right visions direct what happens to our neighborhoods, rather than allowing wrongheaded political and real estate decisions to take our neighborhoods in bad directions? What roles do artists, educators, grass roots organizers, and other leaders in the community have -- to ensure that our city keeps getting better, more exciting, and more livable?

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