More Plazas? (Chicago, Lincoln, Savanna: how much, neighborhood, live)

[chikid]

I personally love plazas. How come Chicago is lacking plazas? I am not talking about plazas attached to skyscrapers, like Daley Plaza or Mall Plazas, I mean neighborhood plazas. For instance like the plaza on Ashland/Division/Milwaukee, or the one in Lincoln Square on Lincoln. I feel that Chicago should have much more plazas and public spaces like those. It creates a much more pleasant atmosphere. There are plenty of parking lots that can be redone, turned into a plaza with adding some trees and a fountain.

In fact an idea of mine has always been to create some sort of Community Area Plaza for each community. Like Avondale having one, Lincoln Park, Lakeview, etc.

Anyone agree?

[ajolotl]

I agree. Occasionally I go to 26th street in little village just to hang out in some of the small plazas that are squeezed between store fronts. Lots of families with kids, random people on benches, no cars of course. The community feel suits me. I often lament that the Beverly neighborhood really has nothing like that -- just an outdoor area to hang out and see people.

[SJaye]

Logan Square, while not technically a plaza, kind of serves as one for the purposes you state above. There is a monument in the middle of it, and for a couple of summers they had a series of concerts on the square. Although, it may not be quite as heavily used as the ones you state above.

[tonythetuna]

Originally Posted by chikid

In fact an idea of mine has always been to create some sort of Community Area Plaza for each community.

This will never happen unless CTA ridership doubles or triples.

[Savoir Faire]

Savannah, Georgia has dozens of squares, which is similar to a plaza. I love them, one of my favorite things about Savannah. It really adds to the community.

[On Air]

Savannah, Georgia has dozens of squares, which is similar to a plaza. I love them, one of my favorite things about Savannah. It really adds to the community.

Don't even get me started on how much I love the squares in Savannah. The history of them is incredible too! I lived there for a year and absolutely loved visiting and learning about them. Although Oglethorpe never followed through with his original plan for Georgia and had some other let downs, the design of Savannah was one of his greatest feats.