Quote:
Originally Posted by thegoatman
Sad we're still hellbent on using supervaluable riverfront space on industrial uses. Dont have a problem with warehouses and such in the city, but dont place it on prime real estate. Go to European cities, all their warehouses and industrial stuff is on the edge of the city (how it should be) instead of right in the middle
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I mean, most European cities have industrial facilities on their rivers at a similar distance (or even closer) from the center as Chicago does.
Greenwich by the Thames Barrier (~5 miles from London) is certainly as industrial as can be. And the same distance as the Damen Silos to the Loop.
The conundrum for Chicago is that the river on the South side is not prime residential real estate. Maybe it will be in a century or two, but certainly not anytime soon.
If I went back in time to year 1900, I wouldn’t discourage the Chicagoans from building their warehouses on the river. It brought jobs, and in the long run the warehouses were easier to replace than the heavy industry.
[IMG]
https://uploads-
ssl.webflow.com/59681caa8ed9cf7dd2ee1884/59b1c08cff719a00017cad7e_timeline-1900.jpg[/IMG]
https://www.chiriverlab.com/timeline
http://industrialscenery.blogspot.co...ge-in.html?m=1
Not to mention, the industrial and warehouse jobs in that location are stabilizing the existing nearby neighborhoods. That’s why immigrants and Hispanics in particular have remained in the area. Move the jobs to a random suburb, and there’s not a ton of incentives left for immigrants to move to the SW side.
