The image we have of Chicago in our minds is heavily shaped by its lakefront. The importance of the lakefront as public space was recognized long ago when the city built its magnificent lakefront park system, choosing to largely turn its back on industrializing the lake. Chicago was heavily industrialized, however, But the main "harbors" along which this was done were the Chicago and Calumet Rivers. The Chicago River heavily shaped the history of the city and do this day defines the boundaries of the Loop business district. Yet the city … [Read more...]
Archives for September 2015
Susan Chin on the Spaces Under the Elevated
Following on to my post yesterday about the a project called Under the Elevated that is looking at the in New York City that exist under the elevated transportation infrastructure of the city, I also was able to sit down with Susan Chin of the Design Trust for Public Space and talk for around ten minutes about the project. I would describe the Design Trust as a sort of R&D lab for public space improvements in New York. They do very early stage conceptual studies of things like spaces under elevated trains, and develop ideas that can then … [Read more...]
Is This Hell or Indianapolis?
I've observed many times that cities outside of the very top tier almost always come across as generic, cheesy, and trying too hard in their marketing efforts. They highlight everything about their city that is pretty much a variant on things everybody else already has (beer, beards, bicycles, etc) while downplaying the things that truly reflect their community. Call it "aspirational genericism." Most places are extremely desperate to be part of the cool kids club, and so they buy the right preppy clothes, etc. and treat the things that are … [Read more...]
When High Density Is Humane, Chicago Edition
Kenmore Ave. looking south from BeldenAs a follow-up to my piece on the humane density of New York's Upper West Side, I was in Chicago last weekend and took some snaps of the same effect in that city share with you. These pictures are of Lincoln Park, a North Side neighborhood that is among the city's most prestigious. It's about three square miles, extending from the lakefront park of the same name west to around Clybourn Ave. The density is 20,000 per square mile. This is far lower than the Upper West Side, but the comparison is not quite … [Read more...]
Richard Florida on New York’s Great Reset
In addition to my City Journal article on the new NYU report about New York City's "great reset," I also was able to grab a few minutes with Richard Florida to get his take on the report. Listen below, or if the audio embed doesn't display for you, click over to listen on Soundcloud. … [Read more...]