Chicago's Tourist Bubble

Chicago is a global city that has invested millions of dollars not only in the beautification of Chicago, but in the creation of tourist areas, specifically catered to catch the eye of visitors.  With investments totaling up to more than $2255 million dollars with the creation of attractions such as Navy Pier, Millennium Park, the reconfiguration of Lake Shore drive, the development of the Museum Campus, the rebuilding of Soldier Field, the conversion of Mig's Field into a large park, and the development of McCormick Place into a larger convention center, the city of Chicago became one of the best known tourist hubs of the Midwest.

However, this money came from the residents of Chicago, and critics are saying that it was not worth the tax dollars we put into the projects, as Chicagoans do not use these areas nearly as much as the tourists they attract. I agree to an extent; most Chicago city dwellers spend their time in the loop carrying out errands or going to and/or from work on a daily basis.  To my knowledge, not very many people go out of their way see Navy Pier or pass time in Grant Park.  This may be a result of living in the city, however.  If one lives their entire lives in the city, the residents come to know the ins and outs of what the city has to offer - and have most likely seen nearly all of the attractions Chicago houses at some point or another.

Critics are not, however, attacking the heart of the city,which is most likely a result of many Chicagoans using this space on a daily basis.  I believe that critics are simply questioning the integrity of these million dollar spaces because most (though not all) Chicagoans typically have other things occupying their time, so they do not have time to visit recreational spaces daily.  We have to remember that the city wants to attract wealthy businessmen, as we have learned from Koval.  We cannot criticize business men for doing what they were brought here to do.  In a way, the heart of Chicago is in fact a tourist attraction - the only difference being that people stay in the heart of Chicago, but only visit the attractions in the tourist bubble.

Furthermore, as we have learned from Koval, tourist attractions were created to generate revenue when cities were not doing so well financially.  Cities needed something that they could call their own, and would attract people from all over in order to bring money into the city whilst beautifying parts of the city at the same time.  Though I do not believe these areas are being used to their full potential by Chicago residents, I do believe that it was worth the effort put forth by the city of Chicago to try and bring revenue to the area and create an area of recreation.

On the other hand, however, I do believe that the city should be using the resources pulled to build these attractions to build more housing, widen the streets in the still congested areas, etc.  The city itself needs a lot of work, still.  Even after Burnham devised a great plan, there are still improvements to be made.  However, the tourist bubble has already been created, so we must now look to the improvements of the city as a whole, and not just a specific area to shelter visitors from the real Chicago.