A CITY FOR PEOPLE

As we unwind from a wonderful Open House Chicago and reflect on the free festival’s unmatched ability to bring people together in celebration of our city’s vast cultural and architectural riches, I am reminded of AIA Gold Medalist Carol Ross Barney’s assertion that “excellent design is a right, not a privilege.” Architectural significance is one of the most important criterium applied to our selection of Open House sites each year. The weekend’s special access to these sites brings many remarkable interiors into view, with onsite interpretation and activations aiding in the immersion—from sacred spaces and old movie palaces to modern office towers, historic homes and ingenious makerspaces.

Through the reach of OHC and special happenings in and around the CAC this fall, the appreciable benefits of well-designed places and spaces in our lives is getting the attention it deserves.

For starters, the very fact that the American Institute of Architects’ highest honor was bestowed on Carol Ross Barney this year suggests the profession is placing greater value on quality infrastructure and public space operating at the margins of architecture—the utility structures, schools, airport facilities and CTA stations that comprise a large share of Carol’s practice. Too often greeted with a shrug, these are noble projects that meet people where they’re at. Nearly a million commuters use the CTA daily and our children spend a good chunk of their lives sitting in classrooms. These facilities should awe and inspire!

Another credit to Carol is her dedication to mending cities through environmental regeneration and equitable access to open space. That same spirit guides the work of Paris-based architecture firm ChartierDalix, in residency at the CAC through mid-November. ChartierDalix is investigating the Loop so to propose innovative design and planning ideas for reclaiming space for people, greening the public way, injecting varied uses into underutilized high-rises and parking garages and bolstering the area’s long-term resiliency. They are also seeking points of comparison between the Loop and La Défense in Paris, another ageing high-rise office district in need of reinvention that the firm has studied at length.

Public funding for capital-intensive initiatives like LaSalle Street Reimagined—the plan to convert at least three large office buildings to residential use within Chicago’s historic financial district—may flounder with the shifting budget priorities of Mayor Johnson’s administration. Thus, the time is ripe for exploring creative lighter-touch approaches to reviving the Loop that serve the shared interests of residents, visitors and businesses. By surveying Chicagoans, holding open studio hours and town hall discussions and presenting their findings in a pop-up exhibition in November, in conjunction with the Chicago Architecture Biennial, ChartierDalix hopes to stir some alternative thinking into the larger discourse around the future of downtown Chicago.

Lastly, for a broad critique on the quality of the places we inhabit as modern city dwellers, it’s well worth attending Thomas Heatherwick’s November 8th book launch for Humanize: A Maker’s Guide to Designing Our Cities. Thomas will discuss his book and join CAC CEO & President Eleanor Gorski and real estate developers Bob Clark and Jeff Shapack for a candid conversation about what the author deems a systemic failure of imagination in contemporary urban design and architecture—a “global blandemic” if you will. The panel will explore how greater collaboration between designer and builder can bring more beauty and humanity to our cities, including right here in Chicago.

CAC will continue to champion a more welcoming and connected city by supporting the good work of Chicago designers, city agencies and community-based organizations, and by inviting outside perspectives to the table. Much more to come in 2024!

By Ian Spula
Ian Spula is CAC's Content Manager; he can be reached at ispula@architecture.org