Plan underway to transform Chicago's Pedway into tourist attraction
Officials in the city of Chicago are exploring a proposed plan to transform a network of underground tunnels into a tourist attraction, granting a non-profit permission to create more detailed plans for the project.
Running beneath the city’s central business district, the Pedway connects more than 50 buildings and offers a convenient way to navigate downtown Chicago, but has been criticised for being difficult to navigate.
The non-profit Environmental Law and Policy Center (ELPC) has commissioned a study to come up with innovative new ways to improve the Pedway, including simple tasks such as improving signage and access to the pedestrian route, and more detailed plans to turn the space into a tourist attraction in its own right.
Several companies have been involved in the proposed plans, including British consultancy firm BuroHappold Engineering, US architects DavisBrodyBond, London-based Billings Jackson Design and Bristol-based design agency City ID.
Among the plans, a subterranean library – highlighted by an overground sculpture of a giant book – has been touted, as have things such as farmer’s markets, underground galleries and pop-up installations.
Still in the developmental phase, a project budget has not been set for the Pedway project. Improvements will help better connect important downtown locations such as the Thompson Center and City Hall, and could be funded in a number of yet-to-be decided ways. These include a local property tax and funding from the county or federal government.
Individual businesses who own property above certain areas of the Pedway could also make improvements below ground related to their brand – for example the Chicago Cultural Center could create a natural extension to its facility by opening an underground art gallery within the network to match its topside offering.
If the plans are realised the Pedway could go the way of similar projects such as New York’s High Line – a converted disused railway line turned into an overground park – or Sydney’s Goods Line, an urban corridor running from the city’s ultimo neighbourhood to the iconic Darling Harbour.
Chicago Pedway Visitor attractions galleries chicago architecture design art culture Environmental Law and Policy Center DavisBrodyBondObamas unveil design for presidential museum and library on Chicago's South Side
New chapter for Chicago’s Cultural Mile as American Writers Museum prepares for opening
Gensler launch $500m revamp of Chicago's Willis Tower to create 'must-visit' attraction
Long-awaited Chicago Riverwalk brings leisure to the heart of the city
Aman sister brand Janu debuts in Tokyo with four-floor urban wellness retreat
€38m geothermal spa and leisure centre to revitalise Croatian city of Bjelovar
Two Santani eco-friendly wellness resorts coming to Oman, partnered with Omran Group
Kerzner shows confidence in its Siro wellness hotel concept, revealing plans to open 100
Ritz-Carlton, Portland unveils skyline spa inspired by unfolding petals of a rose
Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners are just one of the names behind The Emory hotel London and Surrenne private members club
Peninsula Hot Springs unveils AUS$11.7m sister site in Australian outback
IWBI creates WELL for residential programme to inspire healthy living environments
Conrad Orlando unveils water-inspired spa oasis amid billion-dollar Evermore Resort complex
Studio A+ realises striking urban hot springs retreat in China's Shanxi Province
Populous reveals plans for major e-sports arena in Saudi Arabia
Wake The Tiger launches new 1,000sq m expansion
Othership CEO envisions its urban bathhouses in every city in North America
Merlin teams up with Hasbro and Lego to create Peppa Pig experiences
SHA Wellness unveils highly-anticipated Mexico outpost
One&Only One Za’abeel opens in Dubai featuring striking design by Nikken Sekkei
Luxury spa hotel, Calcot Manor, creates new Grain Store health club
'World's largest' indoor ski centre by 10 Design slated to open in 2025
Murrayshall Country Estate awarded planning permission for multi-million-pound spa and leisure centre
Aman's Janu hotel by Pelli Clarke & Partners will have 4,000sq m of wellness space
Therme Group confirms Incheon Golden Harbor location for South Korean wellbeing resort
Universal Studios eyes the UK for first European resort
King of Bhutan unveils masterplan for Mindfulness City, designed by BIG, Arup and Cistri
Rural locations are the next frontier for expansion for the health club sector
Tonik Associates designs new suburban model for high-end Third Space health and wellness club
Aman sister brand Janu launching in Tokyo in 2024 with design by Denniston's Jean-Michel Gathy
The Peninsula London unveils Peter Marino-designed spa inspired by London’s famous parks
First glimpses revealed of Mandarin Oriental, Mayfair's subterranean spa retreat
"Architecture is alive" says Ma Yansong, as Shenzhen art museum opens exhibition showcasing work of MAD Architects
SHA Mexico to debut in January 2024 with genome-inspired design by Sordo Madaleno
From parks designed to mitigate the effects of flooding to warming huts for one of the world’s coldest cities, these projects have been designed for increasingly extreme climates