About the debate on the place of rivers in North American Cities.
I'd like to give the example of Quebec City and the St-Charles river that once was one of the most polluted river in North America and had been trapped in concrete walls for years.
For the 400th anniversary of the city, the concrete was removed and the shores of the river were renaturalized. The result; a wonderful natural space in the heart of the city where everyone can relax.
Here's a few pics on the evolution of the river. I think this kind of project could be applied to cities like Chicago, despite their density.
I had a hard time finding past pictures of the river but there was industries all along the shore (Only the one on page 243 of this book
http://books.google.fr/books?id=orqP...age&q=&f=true). It also received all the sewers of the city and was commonly used as a dump by the citizens. Think of the most disgusting river you can imagine, there even were cars in the river. Nothing could live in it.
Plan of a part of the project
Removing concrete along the whole river
The river today
Now, animals are coming back in the river and it's starting to become natural again.