Also posted in the 'Over 12 Stories' Thread:
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-b...ticle_id=27593
Letters to the editor
Development keeps city dynamic, competitive
Aldermanic elections and run-offs create anti-development rhetoric.
One would think that real estate development in a once run-down, gritty, rust-belt Midwestern city is bad. With little urban-planning research, the anti-development bandwagon seems one to join.
We see the many virtues of developing a city still losing population to suburbs and warmer climates — competition for residents and economic investment is fierce. Chicago must remain competitive.
Being anti-development appears virtuous: Not enough parking, congestion, gentrification and density are the buzzwords. Digging deeper, what is really happening? Residents with a piece of the pie don't want others to impinge. This is hypocritical and not in the interests of us all. Chicago must grow. It was gutted by mass exodus and lack of egress into the city from the 1950s to the 1980s. We lost time and hundreds of thousands of people and economic development.
While our counterparts like St. Louis and Detroit struggle to stay relevant in this global marketplace, Chicago marches dynamically forward. Who would have dreamed it? We are competing with warm-weather, expanding cities like Orlando, Las Vegas and Miami.
Don't reflexively hate development. Make certain it is designed well and that architects and developers create landmarks of tomorrow in a city world famous for architecture and revivals. With anti-development rhetoric, design is rarely mentioned. The cause should be world-class design with green architecture.
Bob O'Neill
President
Grant Park Conservancy
Chicago