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Wild Mile – ULI Americas Awards for Excellence Finalist
May 11, 2022
Photo By © SOM Image Credit: Dave Burk
A unique view to the heart of Chicago’s skyline with a direct sightline to Willis Tower.
Photo By © SOM Image Credit: Dave Burk
Modular floating walkways are reconfigurable and scalable.
Location: Chicago, Illinois, USA
Developers: Crowd-Sourcing; The City of Chicago; Shedd Aquarium; Urban Rivers
Designers: Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill (SOM); Urban Rivers
Site Size: 0.32 Acres
Photo By © SOM Image Credit: Dave Burk
Native plantings beautify the park throughout the year, providing a scenic backdrop for kayakers and visitors.
The Wild Mile is a mile-long, interactive eco-park located in the North Branch Canal and Turning Basin of the Chicago River. The river restoration project began as a part of SOM’s Central Development Plan for Chicago, which outlines potential development and green space expansion opportunities. The floating eco park provides access to green space for residents who live farther west of Lake Michigan by creatively adapting what was an unsightly relic of Chicago’s industrial past into a thriving natural habitat for plants, animals and humans alike to enjoy.
Photo By © SOM Image Credit: Dave Burk
Access point for kayaking.
Constructed by community volunteers, the floating park is characterized by its angular rafts and natural edges. Visitors have the option to kayak through the river, and to experience the city from a new perspective. The Wild Mile is a living laboratory for research, innovation, and conservation efforts in an urban environment that fosters community and education, while providing an economically valuable asset for nearby businesses, property owners and tourism.
Photo By © Urban Rivers
Nick Wesley of Urban Rivers shows 5th graders from the British School how to install their plantings in a floating garden bed. The students went on to monitor and study their plantings throughout the following semester.
The Wild Mile presents an innovative example of how to creatively transform underutilized or neglected parts of a city to promote sustainability and well-being. For instance, the team leveraged existing infrastructure–the pre-existing steel walls and mud floors of the channel–as anchors for floating docks and garden beds while mobilizing technology and volunteer help to clean the water and make it more hospitable for plants and wildlife.
To date, the Wild Mile has served more than 20,000 visitors, students, kayakers, and volunteers, not including passersby and tourism during peak seasons.