by Daniel H. Burnham V
6/25/09
I confess that I am not a city-dweller save by circumstance. Perhaps in my case the adage rings true that “you cannot take the country out of the boy,” no matter where he may choose to take residence. This seems an apt assessment, as I am still giddy at the prospect of spending my weekdays swaying with the breeze inside of the 1,451 foot tall pillar of elastic steel and glass better known as the Willis (née Sears) Tower.
Consequently, as I dodge taxi cabs on the pavement and duck when the train passes overhead, one examines the forces that underlie the chaotic veneer of the city’s streets. The physical boundaries of Chicago possess a subtle counterpart, which Daniel Burnham defined as follows in the 1909 Plan of Chicago:
This spirit — the spirit of Chicago — is our greatest asset. It is not merely civic pride: it is rather the constant, steady determination to bring about the very best conditions of city life for all the people, with full knowledge that what we as a people decide to do in the public interest we can and surely will bring to pass.
Of the many bold claims advanced by the 1909 Plan of Chicago, this to me is among the foremost. I wonder: are all Chicagoans citizen crusaders? Inductive premises aside, Burnham conjectures that the “spirit” of Chicago is a necessary condition for achieving greatness, bound by cords of civic vitality that extend beyond the edges of a single household or township. More than the sum of their parts, in Burnham’s view it is the people’s prerogative to ensure that good ideas and solid planning come to pass.
As a newcomer to the metropolis, it is difficult to look beyond the alloyed peaks of skyscrapers and the graded asphalt valleys between them to perceive the human hands that made and support this urban façade. The city is by nature a cooperative ecosystem; humans working together to achieve something otherwise impossible. If you do not believe me, look around you—but do not let your gaze linger overlong on the glittering towers and green lakefront—for 2009 is not the year to rest on our laurels. There is much left to be done in Chicago, and it lies with each of us to see it through.
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