Case Study: What the Carp – Investigating Long-Term Strategy
Chicago’s waterways are the underlying fabric of the city itself. Can Chicago invest in a long-term strategy to un-reverse its own hydrological landscape, and become a global model of urban design/policy sustainability? Since it’s founding, Chicago has initiated several plans to reverse Lake Michigan’s ecological deterioration to help maintain the Great Lakes, one of the world’s richest resources. But these environmental fixes – typically spurred by extraordinary commercial successes – have been sporadic and often enforced from beyond (i.e. the Federal Clean Water Act) rather than designed and planned locally. Even today, with the looming threat of Asian Carp entering the Great Lakes, several states are seeking to intervene in the design of Chicago’s waterways through Supreme Court decree. Can carp become catalysts for re-designing a city? Drawing from the carp case example, panelists will discuss 21st Century goals for improving Chicago’s waterway systems that address invasive species, water supply and storm water management.
