The Chicago Region Ecological Planning Project
A Project Highlight of the Master of City Design Degree
The Master of City Design Spring 2022 Studio focused on ecological design for cloudburst flooding. Planning for cloudburst events is a new concept, which has typically been addressed through special area plans, systems thinking, and blue-green infrastructural interventions. Some resiliency plans have incorporated ideas related to flash flooding, but the acceptance of cloudburst flooding has become increasingly important as torrential rain events across the globe continue to occur with increased frequency and ferocity. Chicago Knee Deep: A Vision for Water Resiliency reimagines the near southside of Chicago including Grant Park, the Amtrak Rail Yards, The 78 site, Northerly Island, the Museum Campus, and the city’s urban grid to accommodate pluvial, fluvial, and coastal flooding between Lake Michigan and the Chicago River.