Chicago's New Themed Vision for Riverwalk

Chicago is seeking funding for a $100 million build-out of the Chicago River riverwalk stretching from State to Lake streets. The City hopes to build another popular destination like Millennium Park.

1 minute read

October 8, 2012, 2:00 PM PDT

By Chris Steins @planetizen


The vision for the riverwalk is "...To offer individual spaces between the bridges spanning the river - spaces that are naturalistic, recreational, even playful, and above all welcoming to residents, visitors and people of all ages, according to the design team, which consists of Sasaki Associates Inc., Alfred Benesch & Co., Ross Barney Architects and Jacobs/Ryan Associates. The city hired the firms last year after a competitive bidding process," writes Jon Hilkevitch of the Chicago Tribune.

"Daniel Burnham's 1909 Plan of Chicago called for the owners of lakefront and riverside properties to create a recreational corridor. Decades later, in the 1980s, the city tried to develop a continuous riverwalk downtown, seeking to transform the once-squalid river into an attraction as appealing as the lakefront."

Monday, October 8, 2012 in Chicago Tribune

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

October 28, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

A car drives through a puddle, making a large splash. Rain pours down.

California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour

If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.

October 28, 2026 - Grist

Lake Powell with much of the water evaporated.

Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River

Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.

October 30, 2026 - Yale Environment 360

: Construction of massive Samsung semiconductor fabrication plant

In Texas, data centers are swallowing promised parkland

Residents who moved to Taylor, Texas for a rural community now have to contend with three data centers in their backyard.

3 hours ago - Inside Climate News

A construction crew working on SunZia.

How a Chicago-sized wind farm beat the odds and powered on

The project spanned five presidential administrations and a standoff with a U.S. military base.

4 hours ago - Grist

A rendering of the basketball court, a green court under a blue sky.

MTA gives itself 30 days to transform pit into basketball court

The site has been under construction since 2022; the city originally estimated it would finish the court in 2024.

5 hours ago - Gothamist