5 things you wish Chicago had/had more of? (neighborhood, construction)

[emathias]

1) More plazas and/or squares with space for performers and informal congregants.

2) More density around rail stations or major bus confluences (this plays into supporting crowds for item 1).

3) 5-10 story buildings allowed within 1/2 mile of any rail station without review. No parking minimum within 1/2 of a mile of any 'L' rail station. No more than .5 parking ratio for new construction within 1/4 mile of existing 'L' rail stations, and no creation of new surface lots within 1/4 mile of 'L' rail stations.

4) Long-term regional strategy including transportation and land-use plan with accompanying long-term financial plan, that includes new satellite business districts, enterprise zones, and intentional, region-wide TOD strategies.

5) More large-scale monuments - either more single, large monuments, or large collections of smaller monuments organized in a large-scale manner.

[Die Intellektuelle]

Originally Posted by Chicagoist123

What are some things that you wish Chicago had more of that its lacking or lacking completely?

1. Public Spaces - Chicago really lacks plazas or public spaces where people can just sit and people watch or sit back and relax. The little plazas that exist are mostly all in downtown and are not the most inviting. I am talking about plazas like the one in Lincoln Square with the fountain. Also with us having an abundance of water, I wish we had more fountains. Or more things like the monument circle in Logn Square.

2. Light rail - specifically on diagonal streets. In my ideal world streets like Elston and Milwaukee would have light rail and much better built bike lanes.

3. High rises outside of the core and lakeshore - I wish places like along the Chicago River further up north and south had high rises. I would love it for example if we had river canyons on the river between Belmont and Diversey on the river. Or maybe mini skylines in other parts of the city.

4. Hills - nothing crazy but just something!

5. Beach hotels - I know by law nothing can be built east of LSD, but imagine if we had miles of beaches with hotels on them. You could do brunch on the beach and have some beautiful resorts on there too. Kind of like the Miami of the Midwest.

More quality housing for lower rates in areas around the shore including the Loop; of course I'd want a selective process so that those who do live in those lower-rate units could afford to live there while also benefiting surrounding areas. That's about the only thing I want.

[marothisu]

Is there a way to petition the city for more public plazas? Half serious question here...I think here in the Gold Coast, the viagra triangle plaza is really great, but there should be more like that.

By the way, there is another one in Gold Coast at Rush/Chestnut/Wabash...there is a different kind of Argo tea going up in the middle of it and they're trying to make it into another hot spot just like the viagra triangle a few blocks north.

[ChiNaan]

Originally Posted by marothisu

Is there a way to petition the city for more public plazas?

Maybe petition your alderman? There's a plaza at the 18th/Loomis/Blue Island 6-corner intersection that wasn't there a decade ago, so they apparently still create new ones now and then.

[OyCrumbler]

Also, maybe more street level retail and other things in the Loop. Those buildings have a lot of floors, they can give up a bit more of that ground floor.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by ChiNaan

Maybe petition your alderman? There's a plaza at the 18th/Loomis/Blue Island 6-corner intersection that wasn't there a decade ago, so they apparently still create new ones now and then.

Unfortunately in the Gold Coast there's not a lot of open land left to do this (or buildings worthy of being torn down).

This is what is going up near me in Connors Park. They hope to make it into a half plaza type of deal:
Alderman Reilly To Hand Connors Park Over To Argo Tea - Parks - Curbed Chicago
Status Update: Argo Tea Pavilion and Connors Park :: The Chicago Architecture Blog

[ChiNaan]

I suppose it's a sure sign that land is in high demand when even the tiniest of parks can't continue to exist without having a retail shop plopped in the middle of it.

[chirack]

Originally Posted by ChiNaan

Oh, I almost forgot....city-wide curbside recycling. How is it that we don't have that yet? Many of the other things I listed are pie-in-the-sky, and some are flat-out impossible, but this one should be very doable. We're at least a decade behind the times with this.

City of Chicago :: Chicago's Blue Cart Residential Recycling Program

I just got a blue cart can for recylcing.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by ChiNaan

I suppose it's a sure sign that land is in high demand when even the tiniest of parks can't continue to exist without having a retail shop plopped in the middle of it.

Well, to be fair...the viagra triangle has a little coffee/gelato stand on it too but that's not the whole draw to the area. It is surrounded by some restaurants and is good people watching but a good meeting point for some people.

If you read though, you'd realize one thing about the Argo tea deal:
IT IS STILL A PUBLIC PARK. ANYONE can be in there regardless of whether they're purchasing anything or not. So it's really not 100% what you think. They can't kick you out of there just for hanging out there.

[ChiNaan]

Originally Posted by marothisu

Well, to be fair...the viagra triangle has a little coffee/gelato stand on it too but that's not the whole draw to the area. It is surrounded by some restaurants and is good people watching but a good meeting point for some people.

If you read though, you'd realize one thing about the Argo tea deal:
IT IS STILL A PUBLIC PARK. ANYONE can be in there regardless of whether they're purchasing anything or not. So it's really not 100% what you think. They can't kick you out of there just for hanging out there.

Nowhere did I say anything about it no longer being a public park or about people being kicked out. I'm just saying, in a neighborhood that (as you've pointed out) is lacking in public space, some of the little public space that exists is now having private business put in it. I meant nothing more or less than that.