14-Mar-17 – Imagine taking the Chicago Riverwalk from Lake Street to Chinatown. Mayor Rahm Emanuel can, and says architectural firms will soon be asked to submit proposals.

Speaking Monday afternoon at Gleacher Center in Streeterville, Emanuel said the firms will compete to re-imagine the Riverwalk, extending it into neighborhoods along the south branch of the river.

“The goal at the end of the day is to create a public space in the truest sense of ‘public,’ where people of different walks of life, different backgrounds, different ethnicities, different income levels, all have a shared experience,” said Emanuel. “That is how you bring a city together.”

Chicago Urban River Edges Idea Lab, funded with $110,000 from Richard H. Driehaus Foundation and Comcast, will work with the architects to develop designs for an extended Riverwalk and other ideas along the Chicago River.

Participating will be Chicago-based companies Perkins + Will, Ross Barney Architects, Site Design Group Ltd., Skidmore Owings & Merrill LLP, and Studio Gang, along with New York firms James Corner Field Operations and SWA, Boston-based Sasaki, and David Adjaye Associates, based in London.

“Chicago’s rivers are an amazing landscape and waterscape that can connect our neighborhoods, enliven our civic life, and provide solace, all at the same time,” said Carol Ross Barney (left), whose firm, Ross Barney Architects, was the lead design architect of the Chicago Riverwalk.

Ideas from the architectural firms are due in June. They will be displayed at public locations for review and comment.

Emanuel made his remarks at a panel discussion hosted by Chicago Council on Global Affairs.

(Left to right) Ivo Daalder, president of Chicago Council on Global Affairs, the mayor of Cape Town, Patricia de Lille, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala, and Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre participate in a panel discussion Monday at Gleacher Center. Photo obtained from Chicago Council on Global Affairs.

Mayors discuss how to protect and profit from their waterways

At least 18 mayors from around the world, including Emanuel, participated in Monday’s all-day forum – intended, says the mayor’s office, to “foster an international conversation about the future of urban waterways,” whether they are rivers, lakes, seas, or oceans.

The forum was co-hosted by Emanuel and Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris. It was held mainly at River Point, the new 52-story office building north of Lake Street.

Discussions included environmental protection of waterways, with input from Chicago architect Jeanne Gang, and leveraging waterways for economic opportunity. Chicago Council on Global Affairs will summarize the discussions and their findings in a report that will be made public this spring.

(Above) Emanuel found time on Monday afternoon to participate in a panel discussion at 1871 about the tech industry. The discussion, focused on immigration challenges facing the tech industry, was moderated by 1871 CEO Howard Tullman (standing at right). Photo obtained from 1871.