DREAMS AND SCHEMES
PROJECTS AND PROGRAMS TO
IMPROVE THE CHICAGO REGION
Craig H Hullinger
1987
INTRODUCTION
The Chicago region contains many attractive and desirable communities. However, the region has suffered greatly from the recent recession. The Southern Suburbs and the industrial portions of the City of Chicago have been the most negatively impacted during this financial downturn. The purpose of this discourse is to outline some major improvements to the area which will improve the Chicago region, both for current residents and for prospective investors. Some of the projects listed here are underway, while others have not been publicly discussed.
This paper is but a small step in the process required to bring such improvements into fruition. The Southern Suburbs are highlighted in this publication. This is due to two basic reasons. First, the Southern Suburbs have received the least development in the past few years and are, therefore more readily accepting of innovative proposals and second, the area has more developable areas as opposed to other areas of the region. Likewise, the southern portion of the region is best known to the author.
This paper is but a small step in the process required to bring such improvements into fruition. The Southern Suburbs are highlighted in this publication. This is due to two basic reasons. First, the Southern Suburbs have received the least development in the past few years and are, therefore more readily accepting of innovative proposals and second, the area has more developable areas as opposed to other areas of the region. Likewise, the southern portion of the region is best known to the author.
I apologize to anyone whose ideas appear here without credit. I have had untold numbers of discussions with numerous individuals on different proposals. Many of the ideas that I have written about have no doubt originated elsewhere.
Some of the proposals are whimsical, some serious, and some controversial. Some of them will be constructed, while others will be added to the ever growing body of rubbish ideas. They may also prompt other better ideas for development.
* I wrote this book thirty years ago. I am now putting it on this blog. I will keep the text as originally written, but add photos - the original had black and white sketches. And I will write short notes about the status of the proposals in bold italics - some of them have been developed while the rest await.