Chicago Plan of 1909

Chicago Plan of 1909
Name	Chicago Plan of 1909
Other name	Burnham Plan
Caption	1909 plan for Chicago, Illinois by Daniel Burnham and Edward H. Bennett
Location	Chicago, Illinois
Date	1909

Chicago Plan of 1909 The Chicago Plan of 1909 was a comprehensive urban design proposal prepared by Daniel Burnham and Edward H. Bennett for Chicago, Illinois. It proposed sweeping changes to infrastructure, transportation, parks, and civic architecture, influencing later work by practitioners and institutions such as Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, and the American Institute of Architects. The plan linked riverfront improvement, boulevard expansion, and civic center placement to broader movements represented by figures like Louis Sullivan, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Patrick Geddes.

Background and origins

The plan emerged from the 1907 commission of the Chicago Plan Commission and the patronage of civic leaders including Charles H. Wacker and Carter Harrison, Sr., reacting to problems exposed by rapid growth after the Great Chicago Fire and industrial expansion tied to the Illinois and Michigan Canal, the Chicago Stock Yards, and rail hubs like Union Station (Chicago). Influences included the City Beautiful movement, earlier schemes by Jean-Charles Adolphe Alphand in Paris, and precedent plans such as the McMillan Plan for Washington, D.C., and conversations with architects from the École des Beaux-Arts and advocates like Frederick Law Olmsted.

The 1909 Burnham Plan and its principles

Burnham and Bennett articulated principles rooted in the City Beautiful movement, emphasizing monumental axial design, civic centers, and coordinated public works, drawing on concepts from Baron Haussmann's transformations of Paris and the civic grandeur promoted by The World's Columbian Exposition of 1893, which featured designers such as Richard Morris Hunt and Daniel H. Burnham. The plan prioritized comprehensive planning, regional coordination with suburbs like Evanston, Illinois and Oak Park, Illinois, and integrated transportation planning influenced by innovations at New York City Subway and proposals from James J. Hill.

Key components and proposals of the Chicago Plan

Major proposals included a monumental civic center near the Chicago River and Lake Michigan shoreline, systematic boulevard and park extensions linking existing sites such as Grant Park, Jackson Park, and Washington Park, and creation of a regional arterial plan to rationalize rail approaches and terminals including LaSalle Street Station and Central Station (Chicago). The plan recommended harbor and lakefront reclamation resembling projects at Boston Harbor and San Francisco Bay and proposed new bridges and river widening inspired by European riverfront works of Venice and the Seine River improvements. It advocated coordinated zoning and public acquisition strategies akin to precedents in London and proposals championed by reformers like Jane Addams and George Pullman critics.

Implementation and short-term impacts

Implementation began with boulevard extensions and lakefront improvements under city administrations including mayors such as Fred A. Busse and William Hale Thompson. Key short-term accomplishments were visible in expansion of Grant Park spaces, construction of new municipal buildings near the proposed civic center area, and harbor works that influenced the development of Navy Pier and facilities for the World's Columbian Exposition. Railroad rationalization projects affected railroads including the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad and the Chicago and North Western Transportation Company, while the plan catalyzed institutional responses from entities such as the Chicago Transit Authority and the Metropolitan Planning Council (Chicago).

Criticism and controversies

Critics from reformist quarters including social activists in Hull House and progressive politicians argued that the plan favored monumentalism over social housing and public health reforms urged by figures like Jacob Riis and Upton Sinclair. Business interests such as executives from the Pullman Company and railroad magnates like Cornelius Vanderbilt III resisted some proposals that affected property rights and terminal relocation. Architectural critics inspired by Modern architecture and proponents like Walter Gropius later challenged the Beaux-Arts aesthetic and questioned fiscal priorities amid debates in the Chicago City Council and state legislatures.

Legacy and influence on urban planning

The plan had enduring influence on American urbanism, informing later comprehensive plans in New York City, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., and shaping curricula at schools including Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of Architecture and Planning. It reinforced principles later integrated into federal initiatives like the National Park Service's urban programs and influenced practitioners such as Daniel H. Burnham's contemporaries and successors including Harold L. Ickes and Robert Moses. Scholarly reassessment by historians at institutions such as The Newberry Library and critics at Journal of the American Planning Association emphasize its role in promoting civic design while noting limits identified by urbanists like Jane Jacobs.

Preservation and contemporary relevance

Elements of the plan survive in protected landscapes such as Grant Park and regulatory frameworks administered by agencies including the Chicago Park District and Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. Contemporary initiatives by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning and civic groups like the Chicago Architecture Center revisit Burnham and Bennett's proposals in dialogues about lakefront access, transit equity, and climate resilience, with projects intersecting with efforts at Millennium Park, The 606 (trail), and shoreline adaptation in response to Great Lakes water-level changes.

Category:1909 works Category:Urban planning in Chicago Category:Daniel Burnham