Content area
Full Text
ALMOST 20 YEARS AGO, THE CHICAGO CITYSPACE PLAN identified a need for open space in city neighborhoods. Despite its "splendid" existing spaces, it read, Chicago's park assets "are insufficient to meet the needs of Chicago residents today." The plan pointed to the Logan Square neighborhood as particularly park-poor.
It's rarely easy to find prospective park land in a dense city, but sometimes interesting opportunities arise. That's what happened with The 606, once a section of Canadian Pacific Railway track (trains stopped running in 2001), and now Chicago's newest park. At nearly 25 acres, it consists of the Bloomingdale Trail, which runs 2.7 miles atop the 100-year-old elevated rail structure, and six ground-level access parks. Some 50,000 people turned out for Opening Day last June, and its use by recreational users-walkers, bikers, parents with strollers-and commuters is holding steady.
Rooted in planning
In 2003, the Friends of the Bloomingdale Trail came together with a bold vision. A year later, the Logan...