For many in Chicago, 2009 was a year of reflection when we celebrated the centennial anniversary of Daniel Burnham and Edward Bennett’s Plan of Chicago. For us in the planning and policy world, the anniversary of Burnham and Bennett’s plan provided not only a chance to appreciate the past, but to look ahead to the future. As we embark on a new century of planning in Chicagoland, the Burnham Plan Centennial Committee, a group of business and civic leaders staffed by Chicago Metropolis 2020, is looking to schoolchildren as the future of the region.
Earlier this week, the Burnham Plan Centennial Committee released the Bold Plans Big Dreams Educators Resource guide, a resource for teachers at all levels with background information on the Plan of Chicago, downloadable lesson plans and guidebooks, and a collection of web and media resources to help facilitate discussions about metropolitan Chicago and encourage students to explore the region and help shape its future.
MPC is proud to have one of its publications included in the Bold Plans Big Dreams guide. A Guide to Neighborhood Placemaking in Chicago, created with our partners at the Project for Public Spaces, is a how-to guide for anyone interested in public space planning projects. The guidebook includes descriptions of Placemaking, a people-oriented approach to planning; a step-by-step guide to Placemaking; useful forms to help define a Placemaking plan; and inspiring true stories about Chicago residents who have made changes in their communities.
A limited number of the Bold Plans Big Dreams Educators Resource guides were released this week, with more to come soon. For more information, visit www.burnhamplan100.org.
For more information on MPC’s Placemaking Chicago project, visit www.placemakingchicago.com.