What Will Be Emanuel’s Architectural and Urban Planning Legacy?


The crowning architectural achievement of former Mayor Richard M. Daley’s 21-year tenure was Millennium Park, which, despite its funding and building controversies, is now the largest tourist draw in Chicago. The park features a mix of public art like “Cloud Gate” (aka “The Bean”), and the luminous (and humorous) Crown Fountain, along with public gardens filled with native plants and trees.

As Mayor Rahm Emanuel nears the end of his eight-year tenure, what will be his urban planning and architectural legacy? Will he be remembered for what wasn’t built during his two terms as Chicago’s mayor – namely the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art? Or will it be the Bloomingdale Trail (aka the 606) that converted a rail line to a walking a biking path.

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The Chicago Tribune’s Pulitzer Prize-winning architecture critic, Blair Kamin, says it’s probably going to be the Riverwalk.

Kamin also discusses the second redevelopment design of Union Station by Goettsch Partners after a thorough drubbing of the original plan. And, as Lake Point Tower celebrates its 50th anniversary, Kamin talks about what makes the unique building so special.


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