Now, that centerpiece is mostly done, and the riverfront beautification is expanding up the North Branch and down the South Branch. “The Riverwalk has shown that people aren’t going to fall in and that we want to have that connection to the water,” said Jen Masengarb, executive director of the American Institute of Architects Chicago, noting that, in earlier phases of river development, protective fences were the norm. Things were so bad for so long that the city’s design guidelines for the river begin by noting its history of being “neglected and abused.” It’s a stark contrast to decades of riverfront development that put cold seawalls and sterile parking lots up against the waterway. The mostly unfenced waterside pathway has become an instant icon, a place to grab a drink or stroll for blocks without traffic. Roughly since the beginning of this century, the banks of the Chicago River have been growing from bit player to star attraction, an ever more alluring aspect of a city where natural beauty can be scarce. The casino plan, still unfolding, will join an urban landscape in mid-transformation.

Chicago’s push for a casino has stirred fervent debate focused mostly on the predictable: whether the right site was chosen, how much tax revenue it will generate, whether it will worsen noise, traffic or problem gambling.īut to advocates of the Chicago River and ecological preservationists, the Bally’s plan to replace the Chicago Tribune printing plant in River West can be a meaningful next step in the makeover of the riverfront.

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