Okay - point taken, honte. Also, I didn't mean formal in the conventional sense - I was instead referring to a sort of "artificial" sense that you don't get on, say, Lake Street, where many different firms and styles come into play.
However, I've never seen an example of Smith doing a large site like this. To date, his successes (the ones I'm familiar with) have mostly been single projects. Trump has a great site plan, but it doesn't include any buildings besides Trump. NBC has a nice, albeit deserted plaza on Upper St. Clair, but again the plan did not include additional buildings.
Does Smith have the skills necessary to create a properly symphonic plan at Franklin Point? I don't know, but I plan to take a long look at Rowes Wharf in Boston in a few weeks, which is a somewhat similar concept integrating a waterfront promenade, marinas, and mid-rise residential into a CBD area. Judging by the pictures, if we get anything on par with Rowes Wharf out of Smith, I'd say we've got a rousing success on our hands.
Unfortunately, any major project here will be the final nail in the coffin for Wacker Drive extension. I'd love to see Wacker run all the way to Cermak. This would provide an ideal backdrop for LaSalle + Riverside Park neighborhoods, and it would allow large volumes of traffic to access those areas (including bus routes), promoting dense development all along the riverfront.
__________________
la forme d'une ville change plus vite, hélas! que le coeur d'un mortel...
Last edited by ardecila; Jun 24, 2007 at 7:48 PM.
|
Threaded Mode