The Field Museum of Chicago: This Chicago museum’s collections range from anthropology to zoology. Current exhibits explore a wide range of subjects, including bioluminescence and cave paintings. Weekends include afternoon story time, and most Friday nights include special family workshops and the option of participating in a sleepover at the museum
Midwest Illinois Map Photo Gallery
His first proposal to pedestrianize downtown streets was opposed by shopkeepers, who believed that the car was the transport mode of choice for their customers. To demonstrate that this was not the case, Lerner implemented the project only on weekends. The ultimate success of the project resulted in shoppers demanding more pedestrianized streets, and there were petitions for car-free streets from different parts of the city.
The BRT system, another of Lerner’s inspiring ideas, combined land use regulations with cohesive street networks and strong public transit. By zoning land within two blocks of the transit arteries as high density and tapering densities based on the distance from transit ways, a higher-transit ridership per square foot was achieved. Very limited downtown public parking was provided, with most employers offering transportation subsidies, especially to low-skilled and low-paid employees.
These far-sighted policies have paid off over the last half century, and the BRT system now serves over 31 million passengers per day in Curitiba. Other policies include: the right to develop forests in exchange for development rights; 10 percent discount towards the city tax if the private landowner has a Parana pine tree on their land; and financial support through a federal grant if the issue of flooding is addressed by creating lakes that overflow into parklands. As a result, Curitiba’s green space has increased from 1 square meter per inhabitant to 52 square meters. The community was actively engaged in this process. Numerous ethnic groups were allowed to fit out parks according to their cultural preferences. The results include a path symbolizing the Italian ritual of strolling, a Ukrainian church constructed in timber, a Bavarian forest environment where tales are told by witches, and a Japanese oasis deep among the skyscrapers.
