Chicago’s Top Tourist Attraction to Get Green Makeover

The $176 million Phase I design concept for Navy Pier unveiled last week promises a "parklike" feel along the banks of Lake Michigan.

1 minute read

May 24, 2013, 7:00 AM PDT

By dsmolker


The Chicago Tribune's Kathy Bergen and Cheryl Kent report: a design team led by landscape architect James Corner is envisioning the "the Spanish Steps in Rome" on the banks of Lake Michigan. Corner, whose design of the High Line in Manhattan highlights a distinguished career in the design and planning of public parks and open spaces, presented "a much-needed refurbishment of a facility with unsophisticated aesthetic qualities."

"For those who walk out to the east end of the 3,000-foot pier, raised lookout platforms will provide lake views, and a water feature will create a cloudlike mist that visitors can walk through," say Bergen and Kent of some of the “softened” Pier’s key design elements. Plans extend to the interior of the facility as well, redesigned by Gensler's Chicago office to "be de-cluttered and given a more open, contemporary feel." 

Initial reaction from the design community has been positive: "’Anything that makes it more parklike is all to the good,’ said eclectic Chicago architect Stanley Tigerman. ‘It can only go up, architecturally.’"

Saturday, May 18, 2013 in Chicago Tribune

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

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

June 11, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Rendering of Shirley Chisholm Village four-story housing development with person biking in front.

San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning

SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.

June 8, 2025 - Fast Company

Yellow single-seat Japanese electric vehicle drivign down road.

The Tiny, Adorable $7,000 Car Turning Japan Onto EVs

The single seat Mibot charges from a regular plug as quickly as an iPad, and is about half the price of an average EV.

June 6, 2025 - PC Magazine

White Waymo autonomous car driving fast down city street with blurred background at night.

Seattle's Plan for Adopting Driverless Cars

Equity, safety, accessibility and affordability are front of mind as the city prepares for robotaxis and other autonomous vehicles.

4 hours ago - Smart Cities Dive

Two small wooden one-story homes in Florida with floodwaters at their doors.

As Trump Phases Out FEMA, Is It Time to Flee the Floodplains?

With less federal funding available for disaster relief efforts, the need to relocate at-risk communities is more urgent than ever.

6 hours ago - Governing

People riding bicycles on separated bike trail.

With Protected Lanes, 460% More People Commute by Bike

For those needing more ammo, more data proving what we already knew is here.

June 16 - UNM News