Modernist park design inspires modernist residential buildings, increasing real estate values in Chicago's East Loop.
Modernist Millenium Park has transformed Chicago's East Loop area from a low-key office and commercial district into one of the city's hottest housing markets. A 2005 study commissioned by the city found that the park is responsible for about $1.4 billion in residential development and for increasing residential real estate values in the area by $100 a square foot. James Kinney, local real estate executive explains: "You've got the park, the harbor, Navy Pier, the museums and other cultural attractions and easy access to expressways and public transportation. It's a pretty unbeatable combination."
New modernist buildings contain a mix of residential uses. Aqua Tower, an 80-story high-rise by architect Jeanne Gang, will have a 215-room hotel and 476 rental apartments on the lower floors and 263 condos on top. Its design takes inspiration from Lake Michigan: "The building has a sensuous rippling facade created through the use of irregularly shaped concrete floor slabs. Ms. Gang, a protégée of the Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas, said the inspiration was striated limestone outcroppings that are a common topographic feature of the Great Lakes region. 'We were looking at ways to tie the building to its place and realized the lake is the biggest thing in the area,' Ms. Gang said."
FULL STORY: How a Park Changed a Chicago Neighborhood
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
Planning for Accessibility: Proximity is More Important than Mobility
Accessibility-based planning minimizes the distance that people must travel to reach desired services and activities. Measured this way, increased density can provide more total benefits than increased speeds.
World's Largest Wildlife Overpass In the Works in Los Angeles County
Caltrans will soon close half of the 101 Freeway in order to continue construction of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing near Agoura Hills in Los Angeles County.
Eviction Looms for Low-Income Tenants as Rent Debt Rises
Nonprofit housing operators across the country face almost $10 billion in rent debt.
Brightline West Breaks Ground
The high-speed rail line will link Las Vegas and the Los Angeles area.
Colorado Bans No-Fault Evictions
In most cases, landlords must provide a just cause for evicting tenants.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
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This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
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