Has Daniel Burnham-style planning returned to Chicago? The Redefine the Drive process so far seems like a resounding affirmation of 'magic to stir [women and] men's blood.'
Greg Hinz reports:
After a couple of years of quiet work, city and state transportation planners are moving into a more public phase of how to rebuild North Lake Shore Drive, and though some fairly exotic concepts have been eliminated—such as bus tunnels under the lake and a light-rail line in the median strip—what's left is eye-catching.
Hinz is talking about plans to expand and rebuild the Oak Street Beach area into a major new park as part of the "Redefine the Drive" planning process. "Using lakefill, the beach would be reconfigured and moved hundreds of feet to the northeast," Hinz explains. "To the east of the beach would be an expansive new park running more than a mile past North Avenue, bisected by the new drive."
The article includes the eye-catching renderings Hinz mentioned earlier, along with additional details about the variations on the proposed plan for North Lake Shore Drive. The "Redefine the Drive" plan is now being circulated in public meetings, after work since 2014 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the city and state departments of transportation. According to Hinz, officials hope to settle on a final version of the plan by 2020.
FULL STORY: Wow! Here's what North Lake Shore Drive could look like
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
Coming Soon to Ohio: The Largest Agrivoltaic Farm in the US
The ambitious 6,000-acre project will combine an 800-watt solar farm with crop and livestock production.
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.
California Grid Runs on 100% Renewable Energy for Over 9 Hours
The state’s energy grid was entirely powered by clean energy for some portion of the day on 37 out of the last 45 days.
New Forecasting Tool Aims to Reduce Heat-Related Deaths
Two federal agencies launched a new, easy-to-use, color-coded heat warning system that combines meteorological and medical risk factors.
AI Traffic Management Comes to Dallas-Fort Worth
Several Texas cities are using an AI-powered platform called NoTraffic to help manage traffic signals to increase safety and improve traffic flow.
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
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.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.