Chicago Is San Francisco's Kind Of Town

Mayor Gavin Newsom wants more for the City of San Francisco. After a recent trip to Chicago, the mayor has hopes of bringing some of that city's character out to the West coast. He says Chicago should be the model for what San Francisco could be.

1 minute read

August 15, 2006, 4:00 AM PDT

By Nate Berg


"San Francisco politicians and civic leaders have found a surprising new source of inspiration: this pragmatic Midwestern city on the shore of Lake Michigan."

San Francisco's mayor wants to bring some of the vibrancy and character of Chicago out west, seeking an attractive, sustainable and lively urban mecca that is appealing to both residents and tourists.

The model city of Chicago has "a civic culture that puts more value on getting things done than on finding consensus -- the opposite of San Francisco's emphasis on community-based planning. Even so, Mayor Gavin Newsom and others say Chicago in many ways is a model for what San Francisco should be."

Friday, August 11, 2006 in The San Francisco Chronicle

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