Dogs And Tots Want Chicago's Emerald Necklace

Will ten acres of Olmstead's green space become a tot lot and dog run?

1 minute read

December 16, 2004, 8:00 AM PST

By Abhijeet Chavan @http://twitter.com/legalaidtech

In Chicago, early gentrifiers face off against newcomers with families who need places to play. Some question the Department of Planning and Development's preliminary proposals to build a tot lot and a dog-run in the open space of Palmer Square. Over the past 25 years, some residents have restored the square to its "status as a jewel in Chicago's historic 28-mile boulevard system, the 'Emerald Necklace' of green space envisioned by 19th Century architectural giants including Frederick Law Olmsted, Daniel Burnham and William Le Baron Jenney." The local Alderman points out that this isn't the 19th century: "As times change, the needs of the community change. I don't think it is an area that has to remain the same forever." Historic preservationists point out that the City recently built a new community playground half a block from the square, and community meetings determined that a skateboard park and dog run beneath the Kennedy Expressway are the recreational priorities.

Thanks to Mary Reynolds

FULL STORY: Neighbors fear historic square will go to dogs

Sunday, December 12, 2004 in The Chicago Tribune

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