Make Big Plans: Burnham's Vision of an American Metropolis

Exhibit : Friday, June 19, 2009 to Wednesday, December 30, 2009

The multi-format exhibition includes a photo-panel exhibit that will be simultaneously displayed at over 60 libraries and other venues throughout the region from June - December 2009 and an online exhibition and slide show that contains the full list of Make Big Plans exhibit venues. Commemorating the publication of Daniel H. Burnham and Edward H. Bennett's 1909 Plan of Chicago the exhibit emphasizes the Plan's relevance to metropolitan development through the 20th century and into the future. Maps, photographs, and illustrations from the plan and other sources will engage broad audiences in the history and implications of Burnham's regional vision.
The exhibit will create a forum for broad public discussion of the 1909 Plan, its impact, continued relevance and the lessons it offers for urban and regional planning efforts in the 21st century. There will be a complementary series of public programs. The exhibition focuses on five central themes:  
 

 
 
 
 
Make Big Plans" is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the William G. McGowan Charitable Fund, Deloitte LLP, and Marsh & McLennan Companies.