Renderings recreate Chicago’s most famous street

Ben Bradley and Alonzo Small

9 mins ago

CHICAGO – In the wake of the pandemic, the country’s inner cities must reinvent themselves.

Chicago’s famous Magnificent Mile is no exception.

Less pedestrian traffic, crime concerns and changes in retail are all posing challenges. Now a design firm has joined the discussion with some ideas to make the area around North Michigan Avenue more relevant and attractive.

Benjy Ward, chief design officer at Gensler, appeared on WGN’s Evening News at 4 p.m. to discuss the future vision of Chicago’s most famous street.

“To understand the vision, we first have to understand why we’re doing this in the first place,” Ward said over Zoom. “We’ve outlined a few things here. First, there are six million fewer visitors since the pandemic. That’s obviously a problem. And then there’s 30% vacancy in stores because there’s less customer traffic.”

Ward also mentioned the thousands of jobs lost, affecting not only the Magnificent Mile but also the surrounding districts.

“This means lower revenues for store and brand owners, but also lower tax revenues for the city of Chicago,” Ward said.

Ward discussed a number of measures that could be implemented over the years to redesign the famous, mile-long stretch. One of these would be widening the pedestrian path. Other ideas range from streetscape improvements that improve pedestrian friendliness, to more opportunities for play, engagement, entertainment and art, to a possible bridge that would connect Michigan Avenue to Oak Street Beach.

Hear more insights by watching the full interview in the video player above.