В этом году конкурс посвящен поиску идей по превращению Чикаго в более «человечный» город – в город, который не захочется покидать, в котором будет комфортно и безопасно жить. Задача конкурсантов – подумать о том, как архитектура может способствовать решению острых городских проблем, связанных с экологией, экономикой, истощением ресурсов и т.д.
Looking forward, in this competition, the Chicago Architectural Club encourages architects to engage issues of the future – climate change, movements of conflict, climate and economic refugees, pollution of the environment, depletion of resources – that can no longer be avoided. What actions should the architectural community take that will ensure that our grandchildren and their children see 2120?
INTRODUCTION: THE 1909 PLAN OF CHICAGO
The 1909 Plan of Chicago, also referred to as the Burnham Plan, presented a progressive vision for the city of Chicago. Developed with the support of the Commercial Club of Chicago, the plan grew out of a need to improve the city’s infrastructure at a time when Chicago was experiencing rapid and unprecedented growth. In less than a century, Chicago grew from a small settlement of a few dozen people to a metropolis of over a million. The Burnham Plan aimed to provide a comprehensive and coherent strategy to address the city’s unregulated development creating conditions to improve commerce and reflecting on the way people live in a modern urban environment.
The 1909 Plan of Chicago focused on six elements and proposed improved and integrated transportation, streets, and public space systems, and a civic and cultural center as the city’s focal element:
(1) “The improvement of the Lakefront”
(2) “The creation of a system of highways outside the city”
(3) “The improvement of railway terminals”
(4) “The acquisition of an outer park system, and of parkway circuits”
(5) “The systematic arrangement of the streets and avenues within the city”
(6) “The development of centers of intellectual life and of civic administration, so related as to give coherence and unity to the city”
CHARGE
Despite its wide success, the Burnham Plan has been subject to criticism being considered, in its essence, merely a “city beautification” proposal. Kristen Schaffer, author of The Plan of Chicago: Published, Unpublished, and the Treachery of Images, attributes this misconception primarily to Jules Guerin’s famous illustrations, which outshine the plan’s more functional, social and human concerns. Elements of Burnham’s social agenda included the enhancement of public space, parks, and field houses providing services to all citizens and the promotion of institutions such as neighborhood schools and daycare centers to help women balance work and family. Burnham addresses all of these issues in his draft of the plan—his intended vision was “Not the beautification of the city, but its humanization.”
Now, in 2020, Chicago is very much a product of systemic issues that have been neglected and ignored despite the social intentions of Burnham’s original draft plan. Furthermore, Chicago is facing a new set of challenges. In contrast to the rapidly growing city of the early 20th century, today’s Chicago is shrinking. This population loss is due to several social, economic, and political factors, such as high taxes, access to high quality education and housing, crime, segregation, and social and racial inequality. In addition, Chicago is confronting global challenges including water and air pollution, climate change, and the current health emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
For the 2020 Burnham Prize, the Chicago Architectural Club is calling for new visions that address the humanization of our city. Looking at Chicago’s future and reflecting on today’s challenges, formulate your interpretation of the Burnham Plan that expresses the needs of our time. Through a project, series of projects or a larger plan, define one or more elements that address current urban issues that are able to contribute to the design of a more “human” city.
How do Burnham’s observations translate in today’s city and which new topics should be addressed?
How can we design a more “human” city today? Do existing planning and design processes sufficiently address the complexities inherent in our city today?
What are the issues of the future that cities are facing today and how can the architectural community address them?
How can cities and urban life adapt and change in light of these new challenges?
If the 1909 Plan of Chicago still serves as a reference in urban planning, looking forward, how can Chicago act as a laboratory for urban and architectural innovation for cities of the future?
