The Obama Presidential Library

I really think they made a bad choice deciding to locate Obama's presidential library in Jackson Park, for the same reasons it was a bad idea to locate the Lucas Museum next to Soldier Field. I think a far better location would be the Lakeside development project which is now apparently in trouble.

Think about it from our own self centered perspective. Wouldn't it be cool to ride along the lakefront all the way to the Indiana dunes? And wouldn't it be cool if people living in Indiana could ride their bikes along the lakefront to the heart of Chicago? 

The lakefront is a priceless asset, yet a very significant part of it is moribund. If we want to revitalize a part of the city that needs it the most, this is a damn good way to do it. We can't consider ourselves a world class city when too much of it is blighted. 

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Permalink Reply by Jared on July 27, 2016 at 4:26pm

Its just too far off the beaten path.  And I don't see being to able to ride along the lakefront to Indiana anytime soon, large portions are heavy industry that probably isnt changing anytime soon.  There is a series of paths in northwest Indiana that will take you almost to the dunes, though its several miles south of the lake.

Permalink Reply by Joe Guzzardo on July 27, 2016 at 5:24pm

I was thinking maybe about a public / private joint venture. The private venture has apparently stalled out and it's envisioned the Obama library will cost about 500 million to build, not a trivial sum. The area needs investment.

Think about it, Obama started out as a community organizer, right here in Chicago. We helped launch his career. He owes us big time and he can and should do a lot better than just building a shrine to himself.

Illinois is the Land of Lincoln. I'm more than willing to let Obama carve out some territory for himself in a corner of our city, as long as he gives us something worthwhile in return.

Dream no small dreams.

Permalink Reply by Joe Guzzardo on July 27, 2016 at 5:33pm

Also, I've ridden my bike down to that area. They just recently extended the outer drive through there and it feels like virgin territory, ripe for development. Lakeside is larger than the Chicago loop. The Obama library alone would be nice destination to ride to. It would be really cool to link up a bike trail the girders the entire lake. 

Build it and they will come.

Permalink Reply by Joe Guzzardo on July 30, 2016 at 1:04am

Some years ago, when they were thinking about building another airport in Peotone, a suggestion was made that a better idea would be to expand the Gary airport, a much less costly alternative to Peotone. The problem with that idea was that it didn't make the politicians in Illinois very happy.

Airport congestion is an issue much larger than the narrow interests of local stakeholders. We're talking about billions of dollars in any case. 

Now, there is the Ameristar casino, a relative oasis in the midst of a heavy industrial area, built to siphon off money from the Chicago area. 

Creating a network of bike paths to link the Indiana Dunes to the Chicago lakefront is a trivial investment by comparison. Consider the 606 trail. Over time, the economic and social benefit of this sort of investment will pay for itself many times over.

Permalink Reply by Jared on July 30, 2016 at 1:28am

Where would you put it though?  A lot of the land in northwest Indiana is privately owned...

Permalink Reply by Joe Guzzardo on July 30, 2016 at 3:51am

Eminent Domain? Charitable contributions? We're not talking about building a 6 lane superhighway. Maybe some train sidings? Public benefit clearly transcends private ownership. I've ridden my bike through the Lakeside area. It just feels so ripe for development and many of us urbanites long for some nature, without having to get into our cars to get there. 

How much money was spent to remediate the land where Lakeside exists? The project is dead in the water, or more accurately, dead beside the water. This is a priceless asset, and if the means can be found to restart it, via lets say the catalyst of the Obama library, the benefits will be huge. What the southside needs is investment. Serious dollars to achieve serious goals.

Yet, what I'm proposing is really chump change, but possibly enough to spur much bigger future development. 

Thanks, Jared. This has been really nagging me for years now. At least you've given me the opportunity to rage against the machine.

Permalink Reply by Joe Guzzardo on July 30, 2016 at 4:08am

The streets of Chicago in some neighborhoods have become a war zone. The trust that must exist between those who serve to protect the streets and the people who live on those streets has been compromised. So maybe its time to rebuild the streets, like they did in Amsterdam.

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