In many urban regions, awareness of the specific challenges facing water-connected areas is increasing, and for the last forty years waterfront revitalization has been a hot topic worldwide. This has also been the case in the seven-million citizen region of Chicago. The factories and industries that once lined the Chicago River are now mostly gone (having closed or moved to greenfield sites). Nowadays a new mode of thinking is needed to decide how riverfront areas should best be redesigned and redeveloped. Even in the last few years, awareness of the importance of enhancing the conditions along the Chicago River corridor and developing new valuable urban areas for residential and recreational utilization has grown. In 2005, Chicago’s mayor labeled the river as “Chicago’s second shoreline” and claimed that the river’s banks are no longer “forgotten areas”. Against this political background the following paper investigates the research question:
How does the City of Chicago approach comprehensive planning for the Chicago River Corridor?
To answer this question an analysis of the planning process and a plan assessment is done. The paper proceeds as follows. In the next section is an overview given of the history of the development and utilization of the Chicago River corridor. Sections 3 and 4 discussed the comprehensive plan making process as a basic planning tool and the specific content and features of the Development Plan, respectively. Section 5 presents a critical assessment of the river and riverfront planning approach of the City of Chicago. The paper concludes with suggestions of how planners can improve comprehensive waterfront plans and comprehensive plans in general as well as approach best plan making processes associated with urban riverfront development.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
2 The Chicago River History
2.1 The Early History and Water-Based Economic Growth
2.2 The Sanitary & Ship Canal, North Shore and Cal-Sag Channel
2.3 The Plan of Chicago and post World War II
2.4 Current Situation – Changing the Image
3 The Comprehensive Planning Approach
3.1 Why Planning?
3.2 The Comprehensive Plan
3.3 The Legal Basis
3.4 Elements of the Plan Making Process
3.5 Community Planning Concept
3.6 Planning in a Contemporary Democracy
3.7 Public Participation in the Planning Process
3.8 The Planning Body
4 Case Study: The Chicago River Corridor Development Plan
4.1 The Development Plan
4.1.1 The Goals of the Development Plan
4.1.2 Reaches and Development Opportunity Sites
4.1.3 The Implementation Strategies
4.2 Further Plans
5 The Planning Process
5.1 The Key Players
5.2 Task Forces, Steering Committees, and Public Meetings
5.3 Finances and Leadership
6 Assessments and Recommendations
6.1 Key Findings
6.2 Leadership and Political Will
6.3 Public Participation
6.4 Water Quality
6.5 Environmental Education
7 Conclusion
Objectives and Research Focus
This work examines the comprehensive planning approach regarding the revitalization of urban riverfronts, specifically focusing on the "Chicago River Corridor Development Plan." The primary research question is: How does the City of Chicago approach comprehensive planning for the Chicago River Corridor?
- Theoretical analysis of comprehensive planning and urban riverfront revitalization.
- Evaluation of the Chicago River’s industrial history and its impact on contemporary planning.
- Detailed assessment of the Chicago River Corridor Development Plan, its goals, and implementation strategies.
- Investigation into the effectiveness of the planning process, including public participation and stakeholder cooperation.
- Recommendations for improving future waterfront planning and sustainable urban development.
Excerpt from the Book
1 Introduction
Waterfronts are important areas for the biosphere on earth. Many kinds of flora and fauna are settled here. At the same time, people use these areas for all their different needs. Water-based industry, residential and recreational uses, environmental quality, commercial development, and transportation are only a few of many different and often contrary human uses. Waterfronts are also important areas for the development of cities. Many cities are linked by them by foundation and contributed to their subsequent development (BREEN; RIGBY 1996: 11). That is especially eminent in case of big seaports like Rotterdam, Hong Kong or Rio de Janeiro. But also landlocked cities like Berlin and in a way also Chicago owe their rise and growth partly to their waterways.
That shows the importance of comprehensive planning approach as the basis of planning and development especially for these urban areas. The pressure of utilization on water-connected urban areas is rising. City administrations want to revitalize their urban waterfront areas and enhance the worth of urban land along the water. As a result, planners are charged with balancing a variety of public and private objectives (cp. fig.1). The diverse range of uses has to be managed and planned to avoid conflicts and to use these areas in a rational way. Comprehensive planning is an often used approach to plan and develop large areas in an extensive way. It is necessary in order for the waterfront to be most functional and useful of the city – aesthetically, recreationally, and economically. Therefore the comprehensive planning approach is used in this research as theoretical basis to analyze the Development Plan and its planning process (cp. research question beneath).
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: Provides the context for the study, highlighting the importance of waterfronts and the comprehensive planning approach, while introducing the research question concerning the Chicago River Corridor.
2 The Chicago River History: Traces the historical utilization of the Chicago River, from its early role in economic growth and the engineering of canal systems to its modern-day image transition.
3 The Comprehensive Planning Approach: Explores the theoretical framework of planning, examining what constitutes a comprehensive plan, its legal basis, and the standard elements involved in the plan-making process.
4 Case Study: The Chicago River Corridor Development Plan: Details the specific development plan for the Chicago River, including its key goals, the subdivision into reaches, and the implementation strategies such as setback ordinances and design guidelines.
5 The Planning Process: Discusses the practical application of planning in Chicago, identifying key players, the role of task forces and steering committees, and the financial structure supporting the project.
6 Assessments and Recommendations: Critically evaluates the Chicago River Corridor Development Plan, addressing successes and shortcomings in leadership, public participation, water quality, and environmental education.
7 Conclusion: Synthesizes the findings, affirming that comprehensive planning is essential for balancing complex interests in urban riverfront development and offering final considerations for future planning efforts.
Keywords
Chicago River, Urban Planning, Waterfront Revitalization, Comprehensive Planning, City of Chicago, Development Plan, Public Participation, Riverfront, Urban Development, Sustainability, Land Use, Environmental Policy, Stakeholder Engagement, Infrastructure, Urban Renewal
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this research paper?
The paper focuses on urban riverfront planning, specifically analyzing the "Chicago River Corridor Development Plan" as a case study for comprehensive planning within a large metropolitan area.
What are the primary themes discussed in the study?
Key themes include the industrial history of the Chicago River, the theory of comprehensive planning, the dynamics of public participation, and the practical challenges of balancing environmental, social, and economic interests.
What is the central research question?
The study seeks to answer: "How does the City of Chicago approach comprehensive planning for the Chicago River Corridor?"
Which scientific methodology is applied here?
The author uses a qualitative research methodology, combining a review of secondary literature on planning theory with primary data gathered through expert interviews with representatives from the City of Chicago and local planning organizations.
What is the focus of the main section of the paper?
The main section investigates the specific content of the Chicago River Corridor Development Plan, the institutional planning process, and a critical assessment of its execution compared to theoretical best practices.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include urban riverfront planning, comprehensive planning, Chicago, infrastructure, stakeholder engagement, and sustainable urban development.
What role does the "steering committee" play in the planning process?
The steering committee served to oversee the planning process independently of standard city departments, allowing for a broader representation of diverse interests and facilitating communication among various stakeholders.
What is the author's conclusion regarding the success of the Development Plan?
The author concludes that while the plan represents an important first step, its effectiveness is hampered by weak political leadership, limited public participation, and an insufficient focus on long-term sustainability and environmental education.
- Quote paper
- M.A. Geograph Felix Weickmann (Author), 2006, Riverfront Planning - Case Study of the 'Chicago River Corridor Development Plan', Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/73662
