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The resource map helps us advocate for river-edge developments to incorporate: Habitat creation, protection, and enhancement. Nature-based solutions for stormwater capture and infiltration. Avoidance of potentially river-harming or polluting uses. Public access to the river’s edge and the waterway for recreation.
- The Civic Opera Edge
- The Congress Parkway Edge
- The Air Line Bridge Edge
The Civic Opera Edge is part of the downtown canyon, with the historic Civic Opera and Riverside Plaza Buildings on the east and west sides respectively. Unlike the Chicago Riverwalk to the north, the Civic Opera Edge site’s challenge is to create a human-scale, continuous path where buildings directly front the river.image credit: Lyric Opera Land...
Further south, the Congress Parkway Edge site sits alongside the Chicago River where three major highways and Congress Parkway converge. Pedestrian access to the riverfront is still complicated by high-volume traffic despite public space near the river (Grant Park is at the end of Congress Parkway) and the Congress Interchange Park completed in 201...
Located on the South Side outside of the downtown core, the Air Line Bridge Edge is bordered by a 62-acre vacant parcelto the north.The St. Charles Airline Bridge (a designated landmark) and Ping Tom Memorial Park are adjacent to the site. Goals for this site include incorporating the Airline Bridge into designs, linking the river with the existing...
The development of a continuous South Branch pedestrian and bicycle path with accessible connections will build on the evolution of Chicago’s public parks, offering new types of spaces for recreation, and transportation, and education. The North and Main Branches of the Chicago River enter the fork at Wolf Creek and flow into the South Branch.
The plan has mapped and identified over 80 City of Chicago river edge sites, outlining opportunities for enhanced habitat, stormwater management, recreation, and river access. Download Plan Here
The River Edge Ideas Lab is an initiative to reinvent the South Branch of the Chicago River. Nine leading architecture firms with experience developing innovative riverfronts, parks, and public spaces were invited to envision a unified aesthetic along Chicago’s riverfront.
Welcoming public access to the river’s edge and the waterway for recreation. A continuously connected river edge trail system. Resources for river edge development:
Each firm has created their visions for three iconic sites along the Chicago River, with each site representing a typical edge condition: a building edge, an open space edge, and a bridge edge.
