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ECO-BRIDGE: Chicago’s New Harborside Green Space

inhabitat.com — Chicago is moving towards their new moniker with another sustainable initiative, the Eco-Bridge, adding yet one more reason for other urban leaders to follow in its lighter footsteps. The proposed Eco-Bridge will serve as a breakwater in the Monroe Harbor and create recreational space for residents and visitor

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  • mquil, on 06/11/2008, -18/+0u did a nice sharing!


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    ur digg will be appreciated
  • louiebaur, on 06/11/2008, -0/+6The proposed Eco-Bridge looks pretty awesome!
  • netfreehost, on 06/11/2008, -1/+3Nice share
  • LewP, on 06/11/2008, -3/+4Dugg and submitted to today's DDD.
    • bxblox, on 06/11/2008, -0/+1Seriously, wtf is DDD???
      • fugeelama, on 06/11/2008, -0/+1Daily Digg Disappointment
        • bxblox, on 06/11/2008, -0/+1Is this some sort of blog or list?
        • MikeSD34, on 06/11/2008, -0/+1It's spam, he's posted the exact same comment more then 10 times today on a number of different stories. It contributes absolutely NOTHING to the discussion.

          If you view his full comment list, the majority of it is comments like this.
  • rawg, on 06/11/2008, -0/+6Fantastic idea and a great addition for runners/bikers on the lakeshore. Nice to see Chicago continuing to live up to it's architectural heritage.

    Check out this related article on the proposed Chicago Spire... http://digg.com/environment/Insane_Biomimicry_Chic ...
    • Hetman, on 06/11/2008, -1/+1I heard do to the low in the housing market as of right now they have decided to stop building the spiral. They have purchased the land and broken ground but I think it is at a stand still. Secondly if you want to read a great book about chicago read Devil in the White City. It gives a great account of the world fair and its archeticture. But also has a very bizarre side story about a Serial killer who was on the loose during the chicago world fair.
      • stark2051, on 06/11/2008, -0/+2Spire is still going. The developers have a big, big sales team in over a dozen countries and a few U.S. cities. They are dead set on selling all the units.
      • Hetman, on 06/11/2008, -0/+1I hope so. I just read that either in the chicago tribune about 2 weeks ago. But the design of the building looks awesome. And with that and the trump tower it will completly change the skyline of chicago, in a good way.
    • intrepidDesign, on 06/11/2008, -0/+0The Spire has sold 30% of the units already and they haven't even finished 1 floor yet. This thing is getting built, no doubt about it, thankfully I'm lucky enough to live in Chicago and I get to watch it get built on a daily basis.
      http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=1 ...
    • joeyslugs, on 06/12/2008, -0/+1http://www.thechicagospire.com/construction/
  • MrHairy2005, on 06/11/2008, -4/+1Save the environment baby, I'll digg that.
  • alapoet, on 06/11/2008, -1/+3Way to go, Chicago! I hope green Seattle is watching and taking notes.
  • ColonelTribune, on 06/11/2008, -0/+13Mayor Daley is making a HUGE push to get the 2016 Olympics. Something like this may help, but if the city doesn't get the proper infrastructure improvements...
  • lazlonger, on 06/11/2008, -0/+8Amazing. Nearly 100 years later and it's still a cool idea....
  • Hetman, on 06/11/2008, -2/+3I love chicago and that is the reason I live here. But I hope this does not draw more people to the city. I like it the way it is. I reccomend if you like large metropolitian areas move to LA or New York.
    • mchisari, on 06/11/2008, -0/+11
      I'm pretty sure Chicago is already a large metropolitan area.
    • rsefer, on 06/11/2008, -0/+2I live in and love Chicago as well. As cool as this idea is, I'm not sure how it would look. We will have to see.
  • skandalouslsu, on 06/11/2008, -2/+0A good idea, but we'll have to see how well an architecture firm can design a large outdoor space like that. I hope they bring on a decent landscape architecture firm to help them out.
  • DaveXensen, on 06/11/2008, -0/+1sweet, the north end is right by where i work!
    • stark2051, on 06/11/2008, -0/+1you must be fancy, nice neighborhood
  • Tyr7BE, on 06/11/2008, -0/+5Are you getting this, Toronto?
  • serif69, on 06/11/2008, -2/+7Good God this eco/green branding is going too far. Yes, it's a cool idea. But I really don't think they called it an eco bridge in 1909 when it was originally proposed. It's a breakwater with grass on it. It's an awesome idea, will be incredibly beautiful, and can stand on its own merits without needing to slap the "green" label on it.
    • Hetman, on 06/11/2008, -1/+2But if you add wind turbines it kind of automatically becomes green. And it is nice publicity for the city anyways.
  • deathfix, on 06/11/2008, -1/+5Hopefully this will set a precedent for other major U.S. cities.
  • petebot, on 06/11/2008, -0/+19While the greenness of this idea may be debateable, the coolness of it is not. putting an observation tower out there is genius. Now if only they could bring the CTA into the 21st Century...
  • ddad01, on 06/11/2008, -3/+0It would be much more productive and "green" for Chicago to clamp down on the many industries (steel, oil, chemical, you name it) that continue to dump tons of pollution into the air and the waters of Lake Michigan. This project is nothing but a "feel good", that no amount of wind turbines will mitigate.

    Build it if you like, but don't call it "green".
    • Hetman, on 06/11/2008, -0/+3That is a great lakes issue not really a Chicago issue. Most of those factories are not in Chicago. They are in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin. And Chicago really does not have any say in what they do.
  • ARupp, on 06/11/2008, -0/+6Wow, this looks awesome...Continuing green projects + improved CTA = 2016 Olympics in CHICAGO.
  • TamerzIsMe, on 06/11/2008, -0/+11Now only if we can get a recycling program... Doesn't that seem like a better first step?
    • damienv5, on 06/11/2008, -0/+1Chicago has a Blue Bag program already
      • TamerzIsMe, on 06/11/2008, -0/+1It is a joke and has basically been given up on.

        http://www.chicagoreader.com/features/stories/recy ...

        "Critics of the city’s recycling efforts usually attack its Blue Bag program, an obvious flop. According to city data compiled by the Chicago Recycling Coalition, last year less than 9 percent of the trash Streets and Sanitation crews picked up was recycled. The figure could have been 30 percent if the city took recycling seriously.

        But most Chicagoans can’t even participate in the Blue Bag program. Over three quarters of the city’s trash is generated by large residential buildings, offices, stores, restaurants, and other nonindustrial businesses, none of which are served by city garbage crews. The city does require the owners of these buildings to develop recycling plans with the private waste haulers that pick up their garbage, but few do—and the city almost never checks."
      • TamerzIsMe, on 06/11/2008, -0/+1Actually, they already ended it. It won't be replaced with anything until 2011.

        http://www.chicagorecycling.org/index.php

        "Chicago, Illinois, May 2, 2008 – The Chicago Recycling Coalition (CRC) applauds the announcement today by the City of Chicago that the Blue Bag recycling program is coming to an end this summer, and that by 2011 it will be fully replaced citywide by the source separated Blue Cart recycling program."
  • gavin422, on 06/11/2008, -0/+5This does look pretty cool, but the cynic in me tells me that it's just another part of Daley's plan to get the 2016 Olympics. And organizations like the CTA and the inner-city schools are so strapped for cash, it makes me wonder whether this is a good idea.
    • skeletor07, on 06/11/2008, -1/+0I think Green space is a wonderful idea to get more people to live in the city, and with the increased tax basis comes greater funding for things like public transportation and education. It has only been recently that a revitalization of lake front and inner city properties have taken place. (note millennium park) Projects like this represent the kind of long term thinking that will provide concrete, long lasting fixes to many of the city's perennial problems (funding the CTA). I would like to see substantial investments in green space outside of the magnificent mile though, a lot of the south side and west side of Chicago is still littered with abandoned warehouses and overgrown parking lots. Fortunately the proposed olympic stadium would be on the far South, which I think could inject enough pride and money into the local economy to jump start big change.
  • rrusilowicz, on 06/11/2008, -0/+4God*AMIT! You know what people? First off, our city is only making nominally green initiatives. Remember our blue bag program for recycling trash? That's been scrapped. Oh, and you what else? Grant park is now going to have a childrens museum in it. I don't know if you folks know the history of grant park, but there were laws put in place not to allow any more buildings there. But "I LOVE THE KIDS" Daley wanted the Childrens musueam in grant park, so the aldermen fell into line and today voted to pass a law allowing the museum to move there. Another point, our public transporation system is a JOKE! there was a derailment of a CTA train almost 2 weeks ago. Another one 3 months before that. Oh, and let's not forgot Chicago, and ILLINIOS , have the highest taxes IN THE NATION... but, because we're SOOOOO green, I guess that makes up for all this, doesn't it? You know, Chicago's problems and it's corrupt and inept politicans truly make me want to hurt them... I love this city, but hate that noone wants to fix any REAL problems with the city... god help us...
    • Hetman, on 06/11/2008, -0/+1I agree with you about the child musuem and the CTA. And it is really sad because you are right grant park should technically be considered a historic land mark. And furthermore it is relativily small and we need as much space for parks as possible. It can only help the city to have that area open.
  • gothrus, on 06/11/2008, -1/+6As a Chicago resident this looks like another one of Mayor Daley's gifts of our tax dollars to the tourists and the 2016 Olympics. Daley has always been about making the city look nice from the outside. Come into our neighborhoods and see what Chicago is really like. We have one of the worst recycling programs of any major city. We have an out of control murder rate. Our public transportation is constantly on the verge of bankruptcy. Our streets have potholes that will be swimming pools by the end of summer. The cost of housing is still out of control...$200+ for a studio condo! I'm as green as they come but this seems like another waste of our tax $. They just slapped a few turbines on it so it can be a "green" project.
    • snotrokit, on 06/11/2008, -0/+3dugg for "They just slapped a few turbines on it so it can be a "green" project". I am still pissed about Meigs field. I am just wondering how much our Olympic bid is really going to cost us here in Chicago.
    • Hetman, on 06/11/2008, -0/+1I just do not know what you do about murder violence. Most of it is gang related and these gangs have been around since the 60s so I doubt they are going anywhere. I would love to hear a good solution to the problem. I would say add more police. But most of the time the police in Chicago are just as corrupt as the gangs.
      • mdoverkill, on 06/11/2008, -0/+1They could maybe.....oh I don't know.....let us defend ourselves? It's ***** that I live in one of the most dangerous cities in America (in terms of murder rate) and yet I'm not allowed to legally own a handgun. Yeah those gun laws are working out real well aren't they Daley?

        It's been shown that time and time again that places that allow you to own/carry firearms have less crime, with the exception of maybe Japan.

  • intrepidDesign, on 06/11/2008, -0/+0Yeah good luck getting the financing for this. They cant even finish the superstation below B37.
  • Hudak, on 06/11/2008, -0/+1Known as the 'windy city' you'd think we would already have extensive turbine farms out on the lake. But I guess we shouldn't complain when the alternative is to continue the same old way of life unchanged. The only problem about alternative energy is that it is all produced from existing cheap petrol energy. If you calculate how 'efficient' a turbine is you need to add energy used to produce, transport and assemble it. What I mean to say is, unless there are a substantial amount of turbines on this 'eco bridge' it is a novelty instead of an investment purchased for the future by the existing and ever scarcer cheap energy supplies.
  • bjmoose, on 06/11/2008, -0/+2***** green space. You know what was here before good ole Mayor Daley had it, illegally, destroyed? A really nice lake-front airport. Yep, the mayor hired a bunch of contractors to come in late one night and bulldoze X's in the runway so no one could use the runway. He didn't seem to mind that folks had recently landed their planes there and were now unable to use to runway, no to mention any commuter service with operations at that airport.

    So this is Chicago's great green space. Hey, Chicago is a cool town, spent some time there, would love to go back. But that mayor is one crooked bastard, just like his dad.
  • HappyScrappy, on 06/12/2008, -0/+1No one is going to walk all the way out there, because they know that if they get tired, they still have to walk as far back as they did out. That "bridge" is what, about a mile long for each wing?

    This doesn't make any sense. And I don't see how it's green.
    • walkable, on 06/13/2008, -0/+1I think people will walk out there. From that vantage point, it will probably be the most amazing view of a skyline in North America.

      I do agree with you on the green thing. I guess they count it as part of the park space. I think they are just carrying out final parts of Daniel Burnham's 1909 plans for the waterfront. They've been filing in the gaps recently and the waterfront is just amazing now.
  • buddhajer, on 06/12/2008, -1/+1Wow. Such foresight. How about the island of floating plastic garbage in Pacific Ocean? Check out this video and Digg if you like http://digg.com/educational/Garbage_Island_in_the_ ...
    This video documents where all the plastic goes - into an island the size of Texas, ingeniously dubbed the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Basically, any trash that gets dumped in the water rides the currents to this one spot. Then it gets eaten by fish, who are eaten by bigger fish, who are eaten by us. Check it out.
  • anjolly1, on 06/12/2008, -0/+0The environment needs such projects desperately... Way to go Chicago..
  • lukeamotion, on 06/12/2008, -0/+1I think it should be noted that Chicago sales tax is the highest in the country (10.25%). Next highest in Memphis at 9.25%.

    That's a $2000.00 plasma for $2200.00... Think about it...

    Not saying it's not worth it, but I can understand why people drive out of the area to buy cars.
    • intrepidDesign, on 09/01/2008, -0/+0Taxes on large buys, such as cars are based on where you live. So even if you live in Chicago proper and you drive out to Lake County, your still going to pay Cook County taxes. This was put in place to stop exactly what your talking about above.
  • walkable, on 06/13/2008, -0/+1I think it's a cool idea, but what about the horrendous neighborhoods on the west and south sides of the city? What about the antiquated and poorly-funded public transportation system? I really commend Chicago for it's green initiatives--I was just there and can't believe how much it has changed since some bad times in the early 90s--but many neighborhoods have a long way to go.
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