Following in the footsteps of the High Line in New York City, Chicago opened a 2.7-mile elevated park, which has already been extremely popular in its first week. Here we round up the initial reactions to The 606, as the new park is called.
"Chicago’s long-awaited bikeway and elevated park, The 606, opened last weekend (on 6/6, no less) to a rush of pedestrians and cyclists who were eager to test out the new 2.7-mile trail after years of planning, design and construction," according to Chris Bentley.
The 606, formerly called the Bloomingdale Trail, "is as much a highway for bikes as anything else, due in part to its having been largely funded through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) improvement program."
Steven Vance created a time-lapse video of the entire length of The 606, which you can watch here. Vance also wrote for Streetsblog Chicago to explain how he made the video.
Bicycling west to east on the Bloomingdale Trail from Steven Vance on Vimeo.
Writing for Landscape Architecture Magazine, Zach Mortice offers more details about the funding and political support necessary for the park as well as more details about the design of the route.
FULL STORY: RIDE CHICAGO’S NEW ELEVATED PARK AND BIKE PATH, THE 606, WITH THIS TIME-LAPSE VIDEO
Bloomingdale Trail Gets New Name and Final Plan
Final plans for what will become the longest elevated park in the world where unveiled this week in Chicago. The 2.7-mile rail-to-trail conversion has been branded as The 606, a nod to the zip code digits shared by the neighborhoods along its route.
Chicago's New Strategic Plan for Transportation Prioritizes Equity and Accountability
The plan calls for safer streets, more equitable distribution of resources, and expanded community engagement.
Don't Call it The 606: Chicago's Popular Linear Park Gets a New Name
The Chicago Park District wants to be extra sure we're all clear on this.
The California High-Speed Rail Project Illustrates America’s Transit Issues
Slow progress and a bloated budget have plagued the High-Speed Rail project linking San Francisco to Los Angeles, exposing deeper issues with American transit projects.
What Role Does Health Care Play in Community Development?
Cities are economically diverse and require accessible health care systems, but this can be challenging to implement. Urban developers are working alongside health professionals to create affordable care for city residents.
Density and Driving: A Second Look
A common argument against more compact housing is that increased population density will only reduce vehicle miles traveled at moderate levels of density, as opposed to very low-density and very high-density areas. But this might not be so.
Zoning Reform Gains Momentum in Northern Virginia
Arlington County and Alexandria are moving forward with actions that could potentially launch a new era of planning and development in their respective communities.
Zoning Reform Works, but Is No Magic Bullet
Improving housing affordability and boosting housing production requires more than just eliminating single-family zoning.
Feds to Award $13 Million for Transit Oriented Development Planning
A newly bolstered competitive grant program administered by the Federal Transit Administration has announced a new round of funding.
Piedmont Environmental Council
City of Oakland, California
Marin Transit
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of San Carlos
City of Redwood City
City of Hot Springs
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
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.
Hand Drawing Master Plans
This course aims to provide an introduction into Urban Design Sketching focused on how to hand draw master plans using a mix of colored markers.
