New Graphic Novel 'No Small Plans' Aims to Inspire Teens

Mimi Kirk shares news of a new graphic novel titled No Small Plans that introduces young people to a greater understanding of planning and a greater appreciation for their neighborhoods.

Inspired by the precedent sent by Wacker's Manual, a 1911 book that explained and explored Daniel Burnham's 1909 Plan of Chicago, Gabrielle Lyon, the vice president of education and experience at the Chicago Architecture Foundation, conceived of the idea, spearheaded the production, and hired illustrators to complete the book. The Chicago Architecture Foundation has since launched a Kickstarter campaign to pay for cost of printing 5,000 books to be distributed for free to teens through teachers, schools, and libraries. "Since Illinois recently passed a civic education graduation requirement for public high schools, it will likely be widely used," explains Kirk.

According to Kirk, "the book chronicles young people’s adventures in Chicago neighborhoods of the past, present, and future." A lot more detail about how the book achieves its lofty goals, and a sampling of images from the book, are included in the article.