One hundred years ago, Daniel Burnham, Edward Bennett and the Commercial Club of Chicago established a bold new plan for the Chicago metropolitan region.
Daniel Burnham is best known for his admonition to “make no little plans.” He studied the great cities of the world and developed an approach to urban planning that was distinctive in being comprehensive, systematic and regional. Language from the 1909 Plan provides principles that continue to guide planning and development in the Chicago region today.
The Plan focused on six major physical elements:
| 1. |
improving the lakefront |
| 2. |
developing a highway system |
| 3. |
improving the freight and passenger railway systems |
| 4. |
acquisition of an outer park system |
| 5. |
arranging systematic streets; and |
| 6. |
creation of a civic center of cultural institutions and government. |
Results of the Plan
Burnham and his associates conceived the Plan of Chicago as a blueprint for action, and promoted it widely and effectively to business, civic and government leaders, and even to eighth graders through the Wacker Manual. In 1909, the civic leaders behind the Burnham Plan launched an extensive marketing campaign that lasted for decades. Results included North Michigan Avenue, Wacker Drive and Chicago’s spectacular lakefront parks, and regional forest preserves.
In this tradition, 2009 is a moment in time to reinvigorate public interest for Burnham’s vision of the region, and reinvest in legacy projects that will enhance our quality of life in the next century. [Green Legacy Projects]
The Centennial is an opportunity to learn about the Burnham Plan and its legacy.
Virtual Burnham
Chicago-area coalition led by Lake Forest College will transform the flat images and maps of the Plan of Chicago into 3-D models, accessible through an organized project host website and a series of related public program initiatives [MORE]
Daniel Burnham’s
Plan of Chicago Exhibit
The Art Institute of Chicago will provide an extraordinary opportunity to view historically significant and artistically exceptional documents that, because of their fragility, are rarely displayed publicly in five separate and insightful exhibit rotations beginning September 6, 2008. [Art Institute of Chicago]
The Plan of Chicago:
An Interpretive Digital Essay
For more information about the Plan of Chicago, see Professor Carl Smith’s interpretive digital essay, which includes an interactive map that provides information on which aspects of the Burnham Plan were implemented. [Encyclopedia of Chicago]