Friends of the Parks: Free Lecture

POSTED BY
Carol

Chicago on the Cheap participates in affiliate programs. That's how the bills get paid! Though the site earns some revenue if you buy a deal through one of our affiliate links, Chicago on the Cheap retains full editorial control over the deals posted. It limits the use of affiliate links to the types of deals routinely posted on the site. Thank you! Read full disclosure here.

Friends of the Parks: Free Lecture Architect Richard Wilson gives a Friends of the Parks’ Netsch Lecture

When: Thursday, December 12, 2019 12:00 PM-1:00 PM
Where: Newberry Library, 60 W. Walton St.. Register here.

The Netsch Lecture Series is free and open to the public.

A Senior Team Member with Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, Wilson has worked closely with community and civic leaders to envision a 24-acre North Branch Park and Preserve (NBPP) along the Chicago River near Cortland Street (1900 N).

Currently, there is no public park in the area, and no park is committed, but massive residential, office and retail development have been approved for the area. The 55-acre Lincoln Yards development includes properties on both sides of the river between North Avenue (1600 N) and Webster (2200 N).

Historically, as Chicago grew outward, forward-thinking civic leaders planned and developed parks in advance of, or in tandem with, significant housing development and population growth in the surrounding neighborhoods. The Emanuel administration’s planners relied on the developers to provide “privately owned public spaces,” and the plans for those spaces lack the integrity and characteristics of public parks.

Join us and get up to speed on this crucial challenge for future park development in Chicago. Please mark your calendar for December 12; next week, we’ll share a link for online registration.

About the Friends of the Parks’ Walter Netsch Lecture Series

The series honors renowned architect Walter Netsch’s vision and leadership that changed the culture of the Chicago Park District in the 1980’s. The lecture series offers free quarterly lectures on topics of parks, the environment, urban planning and public policy. There hasn’t been a lecture since 2017. Glad to see they’re back.