The high-water marks showing where the last boom broke under the pressure of the Great Recession are still visible in cities all over the country. The Chicago Tribune recently checked on a particularly poignant example in Chicago.
Kim Janssen checks in on the hole in the ground that almost became the Chicago Spire skyscraper, and the second-tallest building in the world after the Burj Khalifa.
After the Great Recession forced Spire developer Garrett Kelleher to halt construction with only a 76-foot-deep hole that would have been the building's foundation to show, the property has since changed hands and not much else.
Janssen reports, however, that "[w]orkers last week started moving dirt to form a landscaped berm that will block the view of the 110-foot diameter hole from a row of 10 Streeterville row homes on the 400 block of East Water Street." The camouflage effort was followed by a communication from current owners the Related Midwest announcing, in effect, that there's nothing to see, or expect, at the Spire.
FULL STORY: After 2,000-foot dream dashed, Chicago Spire's remains to be hidden behind dirt mound
Two Skyline Changing Apartment Towers Proposed to Rise on the Site of Chicago's Failed Spire
An infamous site has new development life after developers returned to the public with a revised project proposal.
Two Skyscrapers Will Finally Rise Above the Failed Location of the Chicago Spire
Two towers, one reaching 1,100 feet and the other 850 feet, will take their place in the Chicago skyline.
A 2,000-Foot Skyscraper Imagined for the Site of Chicago's Infamous Spire
Global architecture firm Gensler is doing its job to get the ball rolling on the dormant former site of the Spire project designed by Santiago Calatrava.
Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss
The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25,% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.
Placekeeping: Setting a New Precedent for City Planners
How a preservation-based approach to redevelopment and urban design can prevent displacement and honor legacy communities.
Using Old Oil and Gas Wells for Green Energy Storage
Penn State researchers have found that repurposing abandoned oil and gas wells for geothermal-assisted compressed-air energy storage can boost efficiency, reduce environmental risks, and support clean energy and job transitions.
Washington State Plans Ambitious ‘Cycle Highway’ Network
The state is directing funding to close gaps in its existing bike network and make long-distance trips more accessible.
Homeowners Blame PG&E for Delays in ADU Permits
The utility says it has dramatically reduced its backlog, but applicants say they still face months-long delays for approvals for new electrical work.
Rethinking Wildfire Defense: How a Landscape Approach Can Protect Neighborhoods
Post-fire analysis of the Eaton Fire reveals that a landscape approach — including fire-resistant vegetation, home hardening, and strategic planning — can help reduce wildfire risk, challenging assumptions that trees and plants are primary fire hazards.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Borough of Carlisle
Caltrans
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
City of Cambridge, Maryland