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Nurturing Open Space

From the lakefront to neighborhood parks to forest preserves, green spaces are perhaps the most enduring and popular legacy of the Plan of Chicago. Noting that Chicago's founders chose Urbs in Horto (City in a Garden) as the city's motto, Burnham and Bennett argued that parklands not only beautified the city, but were also essential to a swelling population's health. They considered the green environment as important as the built environment to the prosperity of modern cities. Indeed, Burnham and Bennett's ambitious designs for public green space foreshadowed future efforts of cities around the country to create attractive places for residents and visitors.

Jules Guerin, "Chicago. Bird's-Eye View at Night of Grant Park, the Façade of the City, the Proposed Harbor, and the Lagoons of the Proposed Park on the South Shore," Plan of Chicago, plate CXXVII. Chicago History Museum