Chicago’s New Nature
Agenda
Context and Introduction
Ecotone Analysis
Vision
Placetype Zones
Goals
Regional Plans
Toolkit
Conclusion
Image courtesy : Terry Evans
Studio Process
Introduction
Image courtesy : Terry Evans
Rights of Nature
Image courtesy : Terry Evans
Global Precedents
Chicago’s Legacy
Image courtesy : Terry Evans
Land Acknowledgement
Waterways
Image courtesy : Chicago History Museum
Image courtesy Chicago History Museum
Image courtesy Chicago History Museum
Image courtesy : University of Illinois
Chicago’s Legacy
Ecological Legacy:
Chicago in early 1800s
Forest River Prairie
Wet Prairie and Swamps
Farmlands with settlements
Industrial Legacy
Data Source: Newberry Library
Image Courtesy: Chicago Plan Commission Annual Report, 1952
Evolution of Chicago
Chicago Now
Image courtesy : Terry Evans
Urban sprawl
Urban Ecotone Analysis
Urban Ecotone Analysis
Geomorphology
Ecological Overlaps
Data Source: Wildlife Institute of Chicago, CMAP
Urban Ecotone Analysis
Economic Demographics
Biodiversity
Woodland/forest
An area of dense tree, shrub and understory growth.
Prairie
A flat open area with dense growth of grasses and soft stemmed, broad leafed plant communities with minimal tree growth.
Riparian
Land adjacent to rivers, streams, lakes, and other water bodies.
Aquatic
Water habitats such as rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, swamps, wetlands, bogs and lagoons.
Key Takeaways
The Great Lakes region has a history of natural abundance that has been disrupted by humanoriented development.
Despite decreasing dominance of industrial economies, industrial areas still serve as rigid barriers dividing natural systems and communities.
Antiquated single-use zoning imposes inflexibility on the built environment and further divides natural systems and communities.
The engineering of natural systems to meet growing urbanization has led to environmental degradation.
Our region faces climate vulnerabilities - such as flooding, heat islanding, and pollution - but lacks a sense of urgency for climate adaptability.
Interactions between site conditions create unique placetypes, providing opportunities to repurpose and reshape our region’s terrain.
Vision
Fragmented natural systems need to be restitched to restore the Chicago region’s legacy of rich natural systems, promote coexistence between humans and nature, and catalyze Chicago’s New Nature - an ecology that responds to historical degradation and is innovatively positioned for urban use and resilient climate adaptation - through design, planning, and governance.
Image courtesy : Terry Evans
Placetype Zones
Image courtesy : Terry Evans
The Zones
Grid Disruptors
Natural and built systems that disrupts the city grid.
Engineered Landscapes
Where natural systems have been engineered for changed functionality.
Eco-Remnants
Natural areas that are cut off from their ecological point of origin but retain similar characteristics.
Natural Spine
Protected ecological hotspots that should be retained to connect to other natural areas and integrate into the built environment.
Dynamo-scapes
Built and natural systems in proximity to each other which influence one another and trigger a ripple effect.
Shifting Greys
Utility and industrial corridors shaping nearby land uses.
Placetype Zones
Grid Disruptors
Natural and built systems that disrupt the city grid.
Placetype Zones
Natural areas that are cut off from their ecological point of origin but retain similar characteristics. Eco-remnants
Placetype Zones
Dynamo-scapes
Built and natural systems in proximity to each other which influence one another and trigger a ripple effect.
Placetype Zones
Engineered landscapes
Where natural systems have been engineered resulting in changed functionality.
Placetype Zones
Natural Spine
Protected ecological hotspots that should be retained to connect to other natural areas and integrate into the built environment.
Placetype Zones
Shifting Greys
Utility and industrial corridors shaping nearby land uses.
Identifying Hotspots
Grid Disruptors
Shifting Greys
Dynamoscapes
Engineered Landscapes
Eco-Remnants
Natural Spine
Relationship to Goals
Connect
Connect islanded communities to nature and fragmented natural systems to each other.
Adapt
Adapt the built environment to be multi-purpose, meeting the needs of people, wildlife, and natural systems.
Restore natural edges and remove physical barriers to improve and conserve natural functions.
Policy Overrides
Policy Short Term
Enact Climate Setbacks
Long Term Outcomes
Add public access easements. Public buyout of land along waterways as industries phase out.
Land is placed in a land bank for community ownership.
Restored natural systems, flourishing independent ecosystems, increased community access to the river, deepened understanding and appreciation of nature.
Repurpose
Underutilized Land
Create accessible pathways for community control over redevelopment with a focus on environmental programming. Implement anti-gentrification measures through property tax, demolition freezes, and community land trusts.
Increased open space, improved stormwater management.
Regional green roof network
Develop green roofs on civic buildings.
Include an ecologist to review and consult on the construction. Offer tax incentives to existing industrial and private businesses who develop green roofs. Require new developments to add a green roof feature.
Reduced heat island effect, improved air quality, and enhanced biodiversity.
Image courtesy : Terry Evans
Regional Scale
Green Roof Masterplan Waterway Adjacencies
Opportunity areas for green roof development and financial and tax incentive recommendations.
Reimagined Infrastructure
Re-imagined infrastrucure connections along abandoned and exisitng railway corridors and utility lines.
Opportunities and challenges along the river corridor. Proposed landscapes and design recommendations.
Green Roof Masterplan
Proposed
Industrial Civic
14,000 + acres
50+ miles of roof reimagined as green roofs. of connected green roofs forming an aerial green network.
Green Roof Masterplan
Green Roof Masterplan
Exisiting Landscapes
Proposed Landscapes
Green Roof Masterplan
Proposed
Powerline Right Of Ways As Spaces Of Natural Abundance
Railway Corridors
Have Room For Reimaginatation
Override: Chao Phray Sky Park Bangkok
Re-imagined Infrastructure
Proposed Plan
Re-imagined Infrastructure
Proposed Strategies
Waterway Adjacencies
Existing Conditions
Waterway Adjacencies
Regional Prototype Tools
Waterway Adjacencies
Proposed Plan
Waterway Adjacencies
Proposed Strategies
Improved last-mile connectivity
Remediating underutilized lands
Increased public river access
Enhancing ecological connectivity
Continuous public realm
Creating inviting destinations + recreation spots
Waterway Adjacencies
Proposed Strategies
Powerline right-ofways repurposed as trail connections
Continuous trail connection along the river corridor
Ecological restoration + conservation
Increased crossings for pedestrians + bikes Climate mitigation zones
Economic development: blue-green industries + mixed-use development
Prototype Toolkit
Contextual Tools
Image courtesy : Terry Evans
IncreasedAccess toWaterways
WildlifeCrossing Bridge
Pedestrian Bridge-Railway
LivingTrails
WildlifeCrossingCanopy
WildlifeCrossingTunnel
PedestrianBridgeRiver
VacantLot RepurposingRiver
EcoRecreation Area
ClimateZoning -UrbanHeatIslandEffect MagicTrain
VacantLotRepurposing-Community RailroadWater Catchment RailroadRewilding
Blue-GreenIndustry
Repurpose
IncreasedRiver SetbackIndustrialAreas
ActivatedUtility Corridors LivingFilters
Greeningthe Grid
Chicago’s New Nature
Rewilding Nature
Improving
Waterways
Restoring Wetlands
Building Green Industries Connecting Trails
Increasing Community Access
Rewilding Nature
Improving Waterways
Restoring Wetlands
1.28 million people living in the ‘C’ impacted by Chicago’s
Building Green Industries Connecting Trails
Increasing Community Access
New Nature of new green space across the Green Roof Network 14,000+ acres of remediated and rewilded land 12,500+ acres of newly connected ecological corridors 2,000 miles
Thank You
Team members
Abdullah Chaudhry
Aayush Patel
Alek Jaunzemis
Dinesh Prasad
Grace Hebert
Mikaela Uddfolk
Molly Delaney
Neha Thunga
Janhavi Manjrekar
Wen Po Hsu
Punya Vats
Ravi Thakker
Sara Zandi
Shashwat Arya
Studio instructors
Sevin Yildiz
Phil Enquist