Category Archives: Small Streets

The Golden Compromise

Posted on October 5, 2013 by Evan Jenkins

Let’s face it: compromise is rarely good. Whether it’s Congresspersons trying to agree on a “grand bargain” to restart the government, or an incompatible couple trying so hard to make things work between them, compromising tends to end up as … Continue reading →

Posted in Automobiles, Small Streets | 3 Comments

A People-Oriented Plan for the Near South Loop

Posted on August 18, 2013 by Evan Jenkins

Looks like I have some competition. I recently stumbled across the Near South Loop Master Plan, a design for a mixed-use, people-oriented development by MGLM Architects. While they’ve somewhat ironically nestled their construction around the conspicuously people-hostile Roosevelt Collection, on … Continue reading →

Posted in Midway Village, Small Streets | Leave a comment

State Street, that Great Street, that… Small Street?

Posted on March 19, 2013 by Evan Jenkins

Over at Streetsblog Chicago (formerly Grid Chicago), John Greenfield has written a wonderful retrospective of the failed State Street pedestrian mall and asks if and how a pedestrian State Street could be made to work today. Chicago Tribune architecture critic … Continue reading →

Posted in Infill, Small Streets, Walkability | Leave a comment

How Wide the Streets

Posted on November 25, 2012 by Evan Jenkins

Somewhere there’s planning Show me the deets Somewhere there’s drafting How wide the streets —Folk song of unknown origin I’ve previously discussed street width primarily in the context of the Midway Village project, where the streets are designed for people … Continue reading →

Posted in Automobiles, Bicycles, Small Streets | Leave a comment

Infill Development

Posted on May 8, 2012 by Evan Jenkins

One objection I frequently hear from people when I’m arguing the virtues of small streets is that we already have cities, and these cities already have wide streets, so isn’t this whole small streets idea not really applicable? We can’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Hyde Park, Infill, Small Streets | 3 Comments

Bringing People Together

Posted on April 26, 2012 by Evan Jenkins

I don’t wish to spend too much time on this blog discussing various underlying precepts, examples, and goals of small streets urbanism, mainly because there are already blogs, including a rather canonical one, doing a great job of that (although … Continue reading →

Posted in Small Streets, Walkability | 8 Comments

Our Opportunity

Posted on April 16, 2012 by Evan Jenkins

In spite of the poor global economic climate of the past several years, Hyde Park has managed to attract an unusual amount of interest from both developers and retailers. The Harper Court redevelopment project is well underway, and Village Center … Continue reading →

Posted in Hyde Park, Midway Plaisance, Midway Village, Small Streets | 9 Comments