The Plan of Chicago

In reading Carl Smith's Plan of Chicago, i was astounded to read about the horrible conditions of the city that are not too far behind us in the past.  In as little as 100 years, the city has transformed from a place of unsanitary conditions, overcrowded streets and smog ridden air into the modern version that we see today.  Daniel Burnham envisioned a plan that would take Chicago into the future safely and efficiently.  Though many of his plans were put into effect a few years after his death, not all were realized.

While I believe that Burnham did a fairly good job in addressing the structural problems of the city, I feel that the future was not readily addressed in an appropriate manner for certain things. Chicago was being redesigned in order to fix the city and promote longevity.  But with longevity in mind..why were only buildings considered?   For example, with the ever growing population and all the cars/trucks/carriages crowding the streets, why weren't more parking structures built?  There is barely enough room for street parking, and places with parking spaces available charge $22/hr (modern day).  Furthermore, the streets were widened enough for the 1930's, but with the future in mind, some streets should have been widened even further.  If something isn't done soon, we are probably going to be spending 7/8 of our lives in a car instead of at home with our families.  I realize that the planners couldn't have anticipated this many people, but they wanted to make structures for the future and families.  I feel like the situation with cars could have been considered a little more carefully.

Also, I believe that more parks could have been created to "break up the city" in a sense. When walking around, all you see is building after building after building.  In order to go to take a break from the city life, you have to walk all the way to the east side of the city to Grant Park.  Personally, I wish there were more "Grant Parks" throughout the city.  Yes, there are parks throughout the neighborhoods, but they are mostly for children.  Adults need a place to relax as well.  Bigger parks (like Grant) should have been placed throughout the city to give people a place to go when they are on their lunch break or want to catch a five minute break before heading home through the rush hour(s) traffic.  Maybe more areas where people can relax will help to calm down the fast paced environment - A little bit of nature can go a long way.