My Chicago Wishlist

[Rizzo]

The Chicago development forums can be a tough crowd, so I figured I'd create this thread to spout off my pipe dream developments for Chicago. Some actually have a chance of getting built within the next decade while others way down the road or probably never.

1. Bicycle Expressway on the lakefront. This would parallel closest to LSD. It would be a foot or two below the existing path and would have tunnels where pedestrians pass over above to connect to the city. Ramps would allow bicyclists to merge onto the pathway. Clearances and accessibility would be wide and tall so that emergency vehicles could use them if necessary. This solution would reduce collisions with pedestrians and make the lakefront a more peaceful and enjoyable experience.

Chance of happening: Possible

-------------------

2. Carroll Street transitway. I imagine some sort of busway, people mover thing or LRT running below River north in existing ROW. It would also require some track area by Amtrak and Metra to reach union station. Ideally this system would allow you to go from Union Station, Oligivie Station, to Wolf Point, parts of River North, the magnificent mile, onto Navy Pier. It could possibly form a streeterville loop and serve Northwestern University and Water Tower Place. Its primary ridership would come from out of town visitors and workers who will reach suburban stations or want a quick way to get from Union to Mag Mile. I'd also propose a super-garage owned by the city near Union for people out of town to park and leave their vehicles for the weekend.

Chance of happening: Unlikely...but has been considered.

------------------------

3. Clinton Street Subway. I don't think there needs to be much said. Better West Loop connection and subway service to Union Station and also the possibility to loop blue line trains

Chance of happening: Possible

-------------------------

4. Union Station Overhaul. The modern portion of Union needs to be totally redone. It's awful, it's a maze, and it's kind of embarrassing. Think big and extremely grand. Towering ceilings in waiting rooms and food court areas. Very open and airy. How with the existing basement configuration? I don't know. Demolish and rebuild the building above.

Chance of happening: Possible (at a much, much smaller scale)

-------------------------

5. Tall tower at the block of Rush, Illinois, Wabash and Hubbard. Tear down what's there and build tall.....very tall. Like 150 floors tall. Perfect spot and may achieve nice skyline balance.

Chance of happening: Can't tell. We could be surprised at any point if the economy continues to get better.....or we'll get some squatty 30 story glass box.

------------------------

6. Smooth out LSD curve, bigger Oak Street Beach, New Oak Street Park. Moving LSD further out into the lake would allow a larger park with a sweeping super-wide entrance and tunnel beneath LSD to the lake. What better way to terminate one of the greatest shopping streets at an amazing beach....one that will finally be of legitimate size. Smoothing out LSD will reduce accidents, but also allow more linear beach frontage.

Chance of Happening: Possible (depending on how much is planning to be spent on redoing LSD)


That's it for now. I might have more later. I'll be sure to duck my head as the stones get thrown.

[uaarkson]

More trees.

[Steely Dan]

Less poverty and the entire universe of social dysfunction that goes along with it.

[mind field]

Getting the south side on par with the north side.

[Rizzo]

It's hard to image a time when the southside was filled with incredible wealth. Can't believe how many of those mansions and rowhomes were torn down. Chicago has pretty much nearly lost an entire era of architecture with the exception of a few scattered remains. It reminds me of how Detroit lost much of Brush Park which contained the city most historic and lavish mansions.

[Justin_Chicago]

1) Circle Line construction
2) A new CTA Line running down the south lakefront connecting Hyde Park and the future Lakeside development (Old U.S. Steel plant)
3) South Loop neighborhood high school
4) More manufacturing on the south side
5) Transit Oriented Development at the Belmont, Addison, and Irving Park Blue Line stops
6) New office construction at the Cumberland Blue Line stop so companies reluctant to move downtown can still be located in CHICAGO
7) Red Line/Purple Line modernization extending the subway further north
8) Chicago annexing Rosemont, Cicero and Oak Park
9) Population exceeding 3 million before 2030 and keeping Houston a distant 4th place
10) Chicago taking 5th place from Dubai in "List of cities with the most buildings taller than 100m" and moving further up the list in "Cities with at least 1 skyscraper above 300m" by adding three new skyscrapers to the list before 2020.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...st_skyscrapers
11) Chicago gets a 600M+ skyscraper
12) Derrick Rose, local hero, brings another NBA Championship to Chicago
13) Cinespace blossoms and Chicago natives in the film industry move back home from LA/NYC

[ChiTownCity]

1.) Less trees everywhere except for specific streets where they actually add a nice character to that specific block and doesn't block the beautiful architecture that's present.

2.) More midrises and highrises in the neighborhoods away from the lakefront
- In other words: Get rid of that annoying 4 floor as-of-right height restriction

3.) A new Elevated line that connects all of the existing El lines without ever directly downtown
- This way it'll be a lot easier to get to different neighborhoods without having to go downtown first or taking the bus. I haven't thought of an exact placement but maybe 2 will suffice where there would be one inner ring line and one outer ring line.

4.) I would also love for the Oak Park, Cicero, Berwyn, Rosement, and a whole list of other border communities that share Chicago's urban fabric for the most part to also be annexed.

5.) Much of the north branch of the Chicago River should be developed with new properties abutting the river even if people still can't have access to the river. Having a river canyon extend well past downtown with regular 4-6 story buildings would be so beautiful. It'll be our own little Venice or Amsterdam area.

6.) Lower the cost of a Street Performer's license by about 50% or so, so we can have a better variety of characters downtown.

I'll think of some more later. Of course all of these are pretty much impossible, but one can still dream....

[untitledreality]

1. Redevelopment of the South Branch of the Chicago River. Turning the Fisk Generating Station property in a parkspace similar to Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord, while developing the Bridgeport side of with dense, 5-8 floor development.

Chance of Happening - Snowballs chance in hell. No way a park of that nature could happen in this country.

----------

2. Rebuilding the Eastern terminus (section East of the Dan Ryan) of the Stevenson into a at grade boulevard. It would increase the livability of Chinatown, allow for the South Loop to integrate with Douglas, and free up more land for development.

Chance of Happening - Its possible, but with the way IDOT runs things I doubt it ever would. Other cities have done it however.

----------

3. Clinton Street Subway. It just makes so much sense. Route the Purple Line through North/Clybourn with it then occupying a new tunnel to run down Clinton, making direct connections to both Ogilvie and Union Station.

Chance of Happening - Possible

----------

4. Redevelopment of Prairie Shores/Lake Meadows. Please, for the love of god please. These horrendous abominations took away so much beauty from the South Side, erasing Chicago's greatest 19th century architecture, at least give us the satisfaction of tearing it all down and starting over.

Chance of Happening - Likely. It is not a matter of if, but when. Plans have been floated as recently as 2007.

----------

5. Expansion of Historic districts. This has proven to be a financial boom in many other large cities, why is Chicago lacking? Lets protect what we have, tighten the supply of land in desirable areas and force density increases.

Chance of Happening - Not Likely. Chicago is the king of destruction, we have bulldozed more beautiful buildings that most cities will ever see built.

----------

6. Parking reform. Eliminate parking minimums citywide while imposing parking tight maximums on all areas falling within 1320' of a mass transit rail station.

Chance of Happening - Possible... and the new TOD ordinance is a step in the right direction, but it still seems like a long ways off.

----------

7. Upzoning of neighborhood commercial corridors. Nothing huge, but a slight adjustment to allow as-of-right development to grow to 5 floors, something more typical of dense traditional cities. Keep the density off the residential streets, away from NIMBYs, while bolstering the neighborhood sense of place and enclosure.

Chance of Happening - Possible... just because technically it IS possible, but with Aldermanic prerogative and NIMBYs I dont see it ever happening.

----------

8. Easier/Faster/Cheaper permitting. Ask anyone who has ever tried to do business in the city of Chicago. Whether it is opening a bar, a food truck, a clothing store, renovating a building, new construction....it all takes forever and you get hit with fee after fee. Its ridiculous that anything ever gets done here. Lower the fees, lessen the red tape, and get permits back in 30 days, not 180.

Chance of Happening - No Clue.

[Rizzo]

Some great ideas.

I'm definitely on board with more historic districts. It pains me to see early post-fire structures torn down. Most of these are obviously close to the core. The more these get demolished, the younger Chicago looks architecturally.

As far as street performers, what's the annual fee these days? And I thought you paid more for the space you require. For example, the break-dancers require massive amounts of sidewalk space...Up to 400 sqft

I always wish there was a better lateral connector between L lines. Yes, there will be BRT, but the idea of boarding a rail platform and going down Damen or Ashland (preferably on a subway line) would be convenient. The subway could jog on the northside up Lincoln to Western and have a stop at Devon. Not sure where it would go south. I'd have to think about that.

[the urban politician]

Originally Posted by untitledreality

8. Easier/Faster/Cheaper permitting. Ask anyone who has ever tried to do business in the city of Chicago. Whether it is opening a bar, a food truck, a clothing store, renovating a building, new construction....it all takes forever and you get hit with fee after fee. Its ridiculous that anything ever gets done here. Lower the fees, lessen the red tape, and get permits back in 30 days, not 180.

Chance of Happening - No Clue.

^ Streamlining this process is really just about politics. More noise than any real improvement, it seems. Press releases, etc but in the end it's still a very cumbersome process where one hand fails to talk to the other

[untitledreality]

9. Prescriptive growth boundaries for the Chicagoland Metro. Setting a strict growth boundary for Cook and the collar counties. With no natural boundaries Chicago's destiny has always been to sprawl infinitely into the farmlands, but as transportation costs increase, funding for new infrastructure decreases, funding for maintenance of existing infrastructure vanishes, and the importance of strong nodes of commerce becoming more and more prevalent, it seems that something has to be done to curtail the growth of the exurbs.

Chance of Happening - 0.000%

[MultiModal]

1. New “modern” subway system (I could make a whole wish list surrounding a new subway system so I will just keep it vague)
2. Express train from O’Hare to Downtown (Union or Block 37)
3. Utilize potential of Union Station
4. Extended River walk
5. Bloomingdale Trail
6. Cover Tracks East of Central Station as well as over the rest of Grant Park
7. Expand the Pedway
8. Wider Sidewalks
9. More and improved bike lanes
10. “Cap” The Kennedy
11. Populate the Loop
12. Improve Data Fiber Network
13. Bury power and telephone lines
14. Improve Lighting (aesthetically pleasing light posts make a big difference)
15. Heated Sidewalks/Roads
16. Expand lower service roads
17. Improved Lakefront path
18. Pedestrian Bridges Connecting DuSable Park
19. Build DuSable Park
20. Grade separate rail lines around Ping Tom park, something to make the north end of the park more appealing
21. Once development around The Post Office occurs, a Pedestrian Bridge over Polk Street
22. Build Northerly Island, with a pedestrian bridge over Waldron and one at the south end
23. Either Rebuild (make taller, skinnier) or tear down the East building of McCormick Place and do something with that huge surface parking lot just north of the building. I would rather have another garage that has a smaller footprint.
24. Improve access to Lakefront basically everywhere
25. Build the new SouthWorks Lakeside Development


Ideally I dream of a day when all rail lines (subway, Metra, Amtrak, Freight) are buried and development can really thrive around transit (I realize this will never happen). I love the “L” but in all honestly it sucks living directly next to a line, it is loud. That does bring up a question, if money was not an issue and Chicago could rebuild CTA rail completely would you keep the elevated rail or move it all underground. In my mind there is no question that a subway would be nicer than the elevated line but since the “L” is so prominent in Chicago’s history and it’s such a defining landmark in our city I find it hard to just tear down (maybe keep it up but turn it into another highline). I would love to hear people’s thoughts.

*This wish list was the result of ten minutes of boredom, there are a lot of ideas missing and also a good majority of these ideas were thought of on the spot. Oh and I realize that a good majority of the ideas are fantasy

[Justin_Chicago]

I wish the subway extension was still an option in the Redline-Purpline modernization plan. As Hayward stated earlier, Chicago needs better lateral connections. Look at the 100,000 attendees at Riot Fest. If Humboldt Park had better rail connections, people would not be driving around for an hour to find parking.

[rgolch]

My immediate wish is for Chicago to stop being the whipping boy for the national media. No doubt we have issues with our crime and homicides. But it really feels like there has been a concerted national effort to smear our fine city.

Once again Yahoo had a stupid cheap article yesterday declaring us the murder capital of the US. It was based on total number of murders. Thing is, if you accounted for population, places like St Louis, Memphis, and KC had higher murder rates.

I think there is a substantial part of the population that has a special hatred for Chicago. And I think it's mostly because it's the adopted city of our president, has a well known mayor who's worked in both the Clinton and Obama administration, and has a history of being anti-gun. They see it as the capitol of liberal hell. What's more is that the non-right media has jumped on this hatred since it gets clicks and views, and it detracts from problems in their own cities.

I also wonder (in my most cynical and conspiratorial moods) if this is an attempt to try to poach our talent and stunt our growth. Although we don't attract a lot of college graduates from the coasts, we still do a great job of getting highly educated and talented people from places like Notre Dame, Univ. of Michigan, Wash U, and pretty much all the rest of Midwest. I'm sure places like NY, LA and pretty much every other major US city would love for talent from the Midwest to bypass Chicago and plant ideas and capitol in their cities. And making Chicago look like Detroit 2.0 could be a big part of their plan to do it (even though it's not even remotely close to reality). I know that's probably not the case, but given the absurd level of coverage and piling on, it makes you wonder.

[the urban politician]

Originally Posted by rgolch

I also wonder (in my most cynical and conspiratorial moods) if this is an attempt to try to poach our talent and stunt our growth. Although we don't attract a lot of college graduates from the coasts, we still do a great job of getting highly educated and talented people from places like Notre Dame, Univ. of Michigan, Wash U, and pretty much all the rest of Midwest. I'm sure places like NY, LA and pretty much every other major US city would love for talent from the Midwest to bypass Chicago and plant ideas and capitol in their cities. And making Chicago look like Detroit 2.0 could be a big part of their plan to do it (even though it's not even remotely close to reality). I know that's probably not the case, but given the absurd level of coverage and piling on, it makes you wonder.

a) I highly doubt it
b) It's the same shit, different decade. Coastal 'elitists' have been demeaning Chicago since the 19th century
c) It's not working anyhow. Anything "wrong" with Chicago is inherent to the city itself, large global economic trends, etc--not what a bunch of ignorant douche-bags from New York are saying. And with tourism at a record high, I think the "murder capital of America" is overrated in its impact

[Rizzo]

Pretty much most cities I've lived in or around have had a bad rap. Whether it's Flint, Detroit and now Chicago. You just learn to laugh at it after awhile. 46 million people visited Chicago this past year and almost none of them was a victim of a crime. The people that talk sh!t about a city are not worth the time, since they aren't coming to spend their dollars here or there anyways.

[untitledreality]

Originally Posted by rgolch

My immediate wish is for Chicago to stop being the whipping boy for the national media. No doubt we have issues with our crime and homicides. But it really feels like there has been a concerted national effort to smear our fine city.

Bah, it is just a phase. New York was the national whipping boy during the 1970s, Los Angeles took its turn during the 1980s through the King riots, every city got beat up on in the 1990s, and now Chicago is getting its taking its turn.

My biggest pet peeve is that local media has latched on to the negativity and refuses to let go. Every morning when I check the Tribune's website all I see is a body count.

[rgolch]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

a) I highly doubt it
b) It's the same shit, different decade. Coastal 'elitists' have been demeaning Chicago since the 19th century
c) It's not working anyhow. Anything "wrong" with Chicago is inherent to the city itself, large global economic trends, etc--not what a bunch of ignorant douche-bags from New York are saying. And with tourism at a record high, I think the "murder capital of America" is overrated in its impact

Yea, I was in a bit of a weird, bitter mood when I made that post. I don't actually believe there's some conspiracy. I still think there's been a bit of piling on though. I remember a recent Colbert report where he jokes that the US only cares about people dying from gas (in reference to Syria), because if we cared about people shooting each other, we'd bomb Chicago. His comment wasn't necessarily the strange part. It was the crowd's reaction that sort of shocked me. After his comment, he practically got a standing ovation. I wouldn't just shrug off the negative rap we are getting nationally. Your kidding yourselves if you think it doesn't have an impact. Those 48 million tourist might otherwise have been 59 million.

[the urban politician]

Originally Posted by rgolch

His comment wasn't necessarily the strange part. It was the crowd's reaction that sort of shocked me. After his comment, he practically got a standing ovation. I wouldn't just shrug off the negative rap we are getting nationally. Your kidding yourselves if you think it doesn't have an impact. Those 48 million tourist might otherwise have been 59 million.

^ I highly doubt the standing ovation was a "we all hate Chicago" thing, but instead more of a "we know what you mean, we need to to fix our own inner city problems at home before muddling in other countries' affairs" kind of thing.

[chiphile]

First wish list priority:

O'Hare airport not being a 3rd world joke that it is now compared to other major international hubs around the world, and it regaining some lost traction in the world's busiest category. Atlanta is not going to get caught, 90 million passengers vs. O'Hare's measly 65 (Midway's 17), but I'll be OK with O'Hare being #2 again rather than #4 or 5.

After the runway expansion (or hopefully during), there needs to be a serious terminal rebuild that FAVORS the United and American hubs. We don't need more "competition" - fiscally unstable airlines flying people to florida. We need giant hubs and the benefits that come with them, non-stop flights to anywhere in the U.S. and hopefully, more Pacific, Latin American and Middle East /S. Asian international service.

Having done some serious flying over the last 3 years, I'm always sad to pass through O'Hare after what I see in other cities. It makes Chicago look like the tired Midwest city it's stereotyped to be.

After full O'Hare build out, we need a serious aerotropolis plan (like Chicago 2020, call it O'hare 2030) that gets express trains to downtown, western access and the bypass, and incorporates Cumberland/Rosemont and the new Western access into a new and powerful economic node for the metro.

Second wish list:

The Illinois film office doesn't just give subsidies to TV and films shot in Chicago, but TV and films SET in Chicago. Hopefully someone in the mayor's office understands how much free marketing you can get just from having TV and movies take place in your city and all the priceless skyline shots.