The Bloomingdale Trail covers 24 acres and is the biggest piece of what locals call “The 606” — a moniker
taken from the first three digits of Chicago’s zip code
— that includes a pair of existing parks and several new
ones, plus a solar observatory at the western end of the
path. It opened in June and has two dozen bridges with
new trees and landscaping that pass over city streets and
17 wheelchair-accessible ramps to reach the trail. More
parks, lush green spaces and public artworks are planned
along the route, too, which also runs through the Logan
Square, Bucktown and Humboldt Park neighborhoods
on the northwest side of the city.
But the 606 is just one of the many new parks that have
been built — or are in the works — around the country. According to Beth White of the Trust for Public
Land, which coordinated the project with the Chicago
Parks Department, urban areas around the country are
playing catch-up as downtowns and other neighborhoods grow and residents clamor for nearby places to
play, relax and enjoy nature.
The Trust for Public Land partners with communities so people can go out their front door and within a
10-minute walk have access to nature, parks, gardens,
playgrounds, trails and other calming places. In Dallas, the city put a deck over a stretch of the Woodall
Rodgers Freeway to create a 5.7-acre park called Klyde
Warren Park that connects a gentrified neighborhood
with the city’s downtown arts district. In Savannah, Ga.,
a parking garage was buried to recreate one of the city’s
historic town squares that was laid out in the 1700s.
New Yorkers boast of the High Line, another stretch of
converted elevated railroad. In Florida, the New Tampa
Nature Park features access to wetland habitats via an
elevated boardwalk. And Madison, Wis., is in the early
stages of planning a one-acre park near the University of
Wisconsin that will require the demolition of four old
student rental houses. The park is needed, city officials
say, because more than half a dozen apartment buildings
have gone up in the city center in recent years, adding thousands of new residents to the downtown area.
White, the regional Trust for Public Land director, said
the 606 will cost $90 million when completed, with
$50 million coming from federal funding, $5 million
from the city and county, and the rest being raised in
a private campaign.
Research shows that parks add to
the quality of life of communities.
Courtesy of Klyde Warren Park
Courtesy of Klyde Warren Park
Klyde Warren Park
in Dallas, Texas
Photo by Steve Vance