Design charrette for Bloomingdale Trail

From October 1 through 4, Chicago community members, stakeholders, and residents will be invited to help begin to create the framework plan for the new Bloomingdale Trail, Chicago’s first elevated, multi-use linear park and bike trail. What elements should be included? How should we meet the needs of various Trail users?

The Bloomingdale Trail design team is seeking to answer these questions and more at a design charrette to be held from October 1 through 4, 2011 at the McCormick Tribune YMCA, located at 1834 N. Lawndale Ave., Chicago IL 60647.

A charrette is a collaborative session in which groups of designers and stakeholders craft a solution to a design challenge. The Bloomingdale Trail charrette will have three main components:

• Two full days of intensive design workshops (Saturday October 1 from 10am-3pm, and Sunday October 2 from 1pm-5pm).
• Two public open houses (Saturday October 1 from 3pm-6pm and Sunday October 2 from 5pm-7pm) will give members of the public the opportunity to speak informally with members of the project team, and review progress to date. No registration is required for these events.
• A design team presentation and discussion (Tuesday October 4, from 6pm-8pm) will give members of the public the opportunity to be among the first to see the results of the charrette. No registration is required for this event.

The Chicago Departments of Transportation and Housing and Economic Development, the Chicago Park District, and the Trust for Public Land are collaborating on preliminary design work for the Bloomingdale Trail. The preliminary design process will include several public meetings, an inventory of the condition of the Bloomingdale Trail site, a design charrette, geotechnical and environmental studies, and the creation of design guidelines and a phasing plan.

Members of the project team, led by ARUP, an international design firm, include: Ross Barney Architects, a leading Chicago architecture firm; Burns & McDonnell, an international civil engineering firm; Michael Van Valkenberg Associates, a leading landscape architecture firm; Dynasty Group, a Chicago surveying firm; Neal & Leroy, a Chicago law firm; O’Brien & Associates, experts in geotechnical engineering; O-H Community

Partners include: a local outreach and public engagement firm; OSA, a local lighting firm; and Chicago Public Art Group, a Chicago community organization responsible for arts coordination.

For more information, visit www.bloomingdaletrail.org