How Chicago Could Have Become a "Paris on the Prairie"

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  • Опубликовано: 20 сен 2024
  • The 19th century saw Chicago go from a patch of wilderness on the American frontier, to a metropolis of over 1.6 million inhabitants. Although impressive, this rapid growth would prove problematic for the city, as it struggled to provide adequate infrastructure and public space. To adress this, local architect Daniel Burnham was asked to create a comprehensive plan for Chicago's development. In it, he envisioned a city of grand plazas, monumental civic buildings, and streets seemingly radiating into infinity - a Paris on the prairie.
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Комментарии • 1,1 тыс.

  • @markjosephbantayan3479
    @markjosephbantayan3479 3 года назад +1356

    Burnham is literally the "you don't know what you're missing" guy of architecture and city planning. Today thousands of people lament the ruin of Manila because his plans were abandoned after WW2.

    • @moneyivo7669
      @moneyivo7669 Год назад +9

      Why were his plan’s abandoned?

    • @markjosephbantayan3479
      @markjosephbantayan3479 Год назад +53

      @@moneyivo7669 World War 2 happened. Nobody had money for anything.

    • @raphgalban2007
      @raphgalban2007 Год назад +21

      plus the streets just… disappeared

    • @ROBOHOLIC1
      @ROBOHOLIC1 Год назад +25

      @@raphgalban2007 which would have been the perfect opportunity to rebuild it. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, instead of an urban dystopia like it is now.

    • @raphgalban2007
      @raphgalban2007 Год назад +22

      @@ROBOHOLIC1 You’re correct. The City Beautiful project could have happened if we were able to fix the stuff that the Japanese destroyed. But we didn’t fix it quick enough to prioritise that project. TLDR: The Japanese screwed us over, hard.

  • @rixille
    @rixille 3 года назад +2360

    That would have been one hell of a city judging by the artwork.

    • @danielmoreno-gama5973
      @danielmoreno-gama5973 3 года назад +110

      Yup sadly the depression crushed everyone’s dreams like always

    • @jeffburdick869
      @jeffburdick869 3 года назад +64

      Much of this did happen. IMO, the most important parts did, such as the lakeshore and boulevards.

    • @robertwright4906
      @robertwright4906 3 года назад +70

      @@jeffburdick869 The lakeshore parks are the best feature of Chicago IMO. I really like the city and it was cool to see where the good ideas came from.
      New York to me feels claustrophobic and gritty, but Chicago feels much more Open

    • @TheOtherOne122
      @TheOtherOne122 3 года назад +19

      That, and automobile lobbying for more roads everywhere

    • @beargrills1290
      @beargrills1290 2 года назад +2

      I take it you've never been to the Chi. It's one hell of a city. Just gorgeous and if the creator of this video had actually been to Chicago he probably wouldn't have created this video.

  • @mickel1634
    @mickel1634 3 года назад +1963

    i'll just have to live with telling myself that this city exists in an alternate universe...

    • @SportZone7780
      @SportZone7780 3 года назад +69

      It does. Barcelona google it, you welcome.

    • @Isphanian
      @Isphanian 3 года назад +11

      @@SportZone7780 LOL

    • @BlownMacTruck
      @BlownMacTruck 3 года назад +9

      @@SportZone7780 Wow, just… sad.

    • @memezoffuckery3207
      @memezoffuckery3207 2 года назад +5

      That city got nuked in the war

    • @MorbSquad420
      @MorbSquad420 Год назад +3

      We could just tear down Chicago & build it like this

  • @naturalcambion3747
    @naturalcambion3747 2 года назад +561

    The world lost its magic when architecture became concrete boxes and asphalt roads.

    • @xavier01110
      @xavier01110 2 года назад +34

      You mean America.

    • @naturalcambion3747
      @naturalcambion3747 2 года назад +57

      @@xavier01110 Everywhere.

    • @texaswunderkind
      @texaswunderkind 2 года назад +53

      People: "I want beautiful architecture to come back."
      Builders: "It will cost three times as much."
      People: "Just build the ugly concrete box."

    • @egoxagony4623
      @egoxagony4623 2 года назад +9

      @@texaswunderkind why would it cost more, genuine question

    • @BoricuaKelfa
      @BoricuaKelfa 2 года назад

      @@egoxagony4623 because their lazy assess have to put in effort

  • @napoleonibonaparte7198
    @napoleonibonaparte7198 3 года назад +1158

    Daniel Burnham also designed a plan for Manila, to make it the “Paris of the Orient”.
    Then again, never fully implemented, cars rule the streets there as well.

    • @danielmoreno-gama5973
      @danielmoreno-gama5973 3 года назад +67

      Definitely very sad not only is it no longer as beautiful it’s rejection in favor of the automobile industry to supply transit lead to mass amounts of carbon getting produced to this day and is one of the reasons why Manila looks so polluted truly was a visionary and he is kinda getting me to look into architecture

    • @bakaheavyindustries4836
      @bakaheavyindustries4836 3 года назад +46

      its not automotive industry killed its WW2. the favor and lobbying by automotive industry began in late 1940s even its implemented still shit and polluted because when Philippine got independence from USA and reconstruction of Manila after the brutal Battle of Manila became the most devastated cities alongside Berlin and Warsaw. the reconstruction is very decentralized compared to Tokyo which US is focused and McArthur offered the reconstruction its rejected the government at time because there is new capital at that time.

    • @sumdude4281
      @sumdude4281 3 года назад +17

      Japanese during WWII had a bit to do with that.

    • @bmona7550
      @bmona7550 3 года назад +31

      Manila got the short end of the stick in reconstruction even tho it's the 2nd most heavily bombed city in WWII

    • @awonoto
      @awonoto 3 года назад +12

      Haussman needed Napoleon III. Napoleon III needed Haussman.
      Burnham didn't have a Napoleon III.

  • @JonathanDGrim
    @JonathanDGrim 3 года назад +4395

    Saddened when I saw the overlay of the highway interchange over what could have been. People wonder why European cities are so nice and enjoyable, this is it! Design cities based on people, not cars!

    • @letheas6175
      @letheas6175 3 года назад +239

      Hi! It seems you know all about it, that is indeed key fact to improving city livability. You might find the channel ''not just bikes'' interesting. It's focused mostly on the Netherlands, but also some other European nations. It's from the perspective of someone who lived in the US and Canada, and his videos are really great at describing how and why cities that aren't car-centric are better.

    • @wolverineeagle
      @wolverineeagle 3 года назад +159

      The US is a huge country. Western Europe is half the size of the US. US cities
      European cities are also much older. For most of their existence they had horse and foot traffic. US cities being much younger and more space to work with would obviously not look the same.
      Geography and history are really important factors when comparing US and European cities.

    • @letheas6175
      @letheas6175 3 года назад +331

      @@wolverineeagle They are important factors but not the most important. Many European countries such as the one I live in: The Netherlands. Have had to make choices, many key points in history could have made it so that it would be pretty much identical to the US (except for the ugly grid patterns, which are also horrible from a mobility viewpoint) for example Amsterdam as we know it would be pretty much unrecognizable with huge highways and a car-centric society in mind.
      But those nations or cities, along with a few outside of Europe (Portland for example as we're being taught during my mobility study) have made the decision to preserve certain things and to provide liveable space. Either through Transit-Oriented Development, which is an excellent way of reducing car dependency, to increasing traffic calming measures, or simply changing laws.
      About that, let me talk about zoning laws. This is also one of the biggest differences. Here in the Netherlands, as is for most of western Europe, zoning laws aren't that strict. Shopping areas aren't just assigned to huge mall/shop areas, usually outside of the city centers, no, they're usually mixed. It's extremely uncommon in the Netherlands to live in a neighborhood that is say 10 mins walking away from a shop. This increases walkability, decreases the need for cars, and is generally higher in value (and because of the increase of people on the street, it's safer)
      Yes, the US is bigger, but that's entirely not the point. The thing is really the way of thinking, the culture. You could implement some of the things we do over here, and some cities (with succes) do, but that doesn't change the national government or laws, it doesn't change the way people view certain ways of traveling. it doesn't incite investment or innovativeness.
      The biggest issue isn't history either as is clear by now. There's this huge province we have here, the biggest artificial island in the world actually, and it's completely reclaimed from the sea in the 1950-1970's, you'd expect it to be car-centric but no, it's not. There are cars, but also seperate bicycle paths, with their own infrastructure and own bridges, there's a hirarchy in road structure and trains to connect places. My point is, even new areas are made in a different way with a strong focus on sustainability, liveability and durability. It's actually key focus over here besides.. you know, living below sea level (or maybe because of it)

    • @guidedmeditation2396
      @guidedmeditation2396 3 года назад +36

      Organized crime and Democrat policies have kept all of America from being better.

    • @italianboyz12345
      @italianboyz12345 3 года назад +62

      The homogenous societies of Europe and the demographics make it pretty nice too.

  • @schimenykrikets9692
    @schimenykrikets9692 3 года назад +146

    Architect: This spot will be where we build the 8th wonder of the world
    City: Freeway intersection

  • @dankthrone6668
    @dankthrone6668 3 года назад +926

    All of this planning and we got a fucking bean

    • @marselo5332
      @marselo5332 3 года назад +39

      lmao

    • @Fermifire
      @Fermifire 3 года назад +69

      Don't forget corruption and gangsters. lol

    • @EdhellenCuar
      @EdhellenCuar 3 года назад +34

      @@Fermifire you mean capitalism

    • @fite-4-ever876
      @fite-4-ever876 3 года назад +3

      we could still have the bean

    • @marselo5332
      @marselo5332 3 года назад +21

      The Hypothetical City could’ve had a Eiffel Bean

  • @MrCtsSteve
    @MrCtsSteve 3 года назад +195

    Detroit was once called the Paris of the Midwest. This was the later part of the 1950s early 60s . We'll we all know what happened to Detroit . There's still some incredible architecture there and history. Yes Chicago is incredible.

    • @NPC-vq3cl
      @NPC-vq3cl 2 года назад +2

      well*

    • @ihazplawe2503
      @ihazplawe2503 2 года назад +1

      @@NPC-vq3cl Do you sell items NPC #2302?

    • @Christoph-sd3zi
      @Christoph-sd3zi 2 года назад +1

      Chicago is incredible if you visit for a week or so - to live there is another story.

    • @royaviles5730
      @royaviles5730 2 года назад +3

      @@Christoph-sd3zi Nope still incredible. I love Chicago 😎 being downtown gets me pumped everytime and it’s crazy how you can be passing places where actors acted from movies or tv shows. lots of cultural places historic monuments

    • @jasonmaguire7552
      @jasonmaguire7552 6 месяцев назад

      Chicago is great except for all the crazy trump supporters doing hate crimes at 2 o'clock in the morning

  • @peterbudko1398
    @peterbudko1398 4 года назад +868

    Once again, an incredibly interesting and high quality video. Hopefully the algorithm will pick you up soon, because you deserve more views than this.

  • @lmnop29
    @lmnop29 3 года назад +624

    As a native Chicagoan, I feel that Chicago is beautiful as it is. However, it would've been nice to see this come to fruition. ESPECIALLY the railways..😩

    • @zeanamush
      @zeanamush 3 года назад +5

      We did consolidate the Railways a lot. Considering how much if it goes to Union and Olgilvie which are right next to each other.

    • @cyberpimp29
      @cyberpimp29 3 года назад +25

      They call it Chiraq for a reason...

    • @zeanamush
      @zeanamush 3 года назад +26

      @@cyberpimp29 Yes mostly because of spike in regional violence in 2016.

    • @sullivandmitry1416
      @sullivandmitry1416 3 года назад +15

      How could you say that the blocks of tall glass buildings and a sway of gigantic proportions of violence as “beautiful.”

    • @hallo754
      @hallo754 3 года назад +60

      @@cyberpimp29 no one calls it chiraq except for people outside of the city who think people call it chiraq

  • @someguy2594
    @someguy2594 3 года назад +946

    It almost seems like the world has lost its magic. Nobody thinks this way anymore.

    • @slaturwinters1828
      @slaturwinters1828 3 года назад +72

      life feels worthless now, there's no magic anymore.

    • @stratdaddy
      @stratdaddy 3 года назад +125

      @@slaturwinters1828 You’re just not looking

    • @trollololololololo1173
      @trollololololololo1173 3 года назад +84

      @@stratdaddy Not really, here in Europe its the same....no one build anymore such Buildings

    • @nukebloc
      @nukebloc 3 года назад +165

      all of the hard work of our forefathers have been handed to savages with no reason to care about local history or beauty

    • @moh.bs10
      @moh.bs10 3 года назад +9

      I do but who cares about me

  • @johnmanno2052
    @johnmanno2052 3 года назад +92

    I'm from Chicago, city proper, born and raised. I soooooooooo wish that this plan had been carried out!!!!!!
    Thank you for posting this!! Excellent work!

  • @thewaywardpoet
    @thewaywardpoet 2 года назад +66

    It saddens me greatly that Burnham's vision never came to fruition. If it had, then, my God, Chicago would be THE most beautiful (to say nothing of monumental) city in America, bar none. You noted the Hausmann influence on the street layout, which obviously calls Paris to mind, but I even see inspiration from Rome and (in regards specifically to the harbor) even Carthage. I'm a firm believer in the Multiverse Theory and I'd like to think that, in a parallel universe or alternate dimension, this Chicago exists. Those designs are simply stunning.

  • @raielalvaro
    @raielalvaro 4 года назад +114

    As seen in the video, Daniel Burnham also had an urban plan for Manila and Baguio City during the American occupation however, these plans didn't came into fruition, and only a segment was completed (Manila Bay Area, Rizal Park) thus the hodge podge of buildings and structures you can see in Metro Manila today.

  • @VLCBK
    @VLCBK 2 года назад +15

    I just love how the old skyscrapers looked like, with so many ornaments well placed and such beauty

  • @rajavlitra
    @rajavlitra 3 года назад +121

    I'll give him credit, he deserved that park in baguio named after him. This is CRISPY

    • @gpaderx6105
      @gpaderx6105 3 года назад +5

      are you also filipino? I really hope the manila plan was made.. so sad

    • @rajavlitra
      @rajavlitra 3 года назад +6

      @@gpaderx6105 ok lang me national museum naman e

    • @gpaderx6105
      @gpaderx6105 3 года назад +3

      @@rajavlitra atleast nasunod kahit konti

  • @kreaturen
    @kreaturen 3 года назад +91

    Noone:
    Burnham: How would you like to live in a fabulously grand mausoleum that stretches into infinity?

    • @pahwraith
      @pahwraith 3 года назад +2

      It looks like speers plans of berlin.
      Hard pass.
      As a lifelong chicagoan.

    • @beepbop6542
      @beepbop6542 3 года назад +21

      @@pahwraith ? Im not from Chicago but Speers plan and this Chicago plan seem great.

    • @kreaturen
      @kreaturen 3 года назад

      Also...
      Liberace: Yes! YES!!! Why nobody ask *moi*?!???

    • @artdecotimes2942
      @artdecotimes2942 3 года назад +1

      @@pahwraith lifelong of how long? 20 years? You haven't a fig newton idea of the city, only its modern characteristics that warp what it once was.

    • @pahwraith
      @pahwraith 3 года назад

      @@artdecotimes2942 i was born in the 80s lol.
      Try again.
      Also i grew up in the city not the burbs taking the cta everyday.
      Trust me. I know the city.

  • @liamwilcox641
    @liamwilcox641 3 года назад +162

    This video makes me sad knowing that we don't have a city like this :-(

    • @goldenrepublic6848
      @goldenrepublic6848 3 года назад +25

      Every American city should have have this much thought and detail put into them.

    • @notsure8550
      @notsure8550 3 года назад

      I'm actually glad some of his stuff did not get implemented, like that terrible idea of diagonal city streets everywhere.

    • @mirzaaljic
      @mirzaaljic 3 года назад +30

      @@notsure8550 Yeah its awesome to see spaghetti highways everywhere instead.

    • @dabage553
      @dabage553 3 года назад +6

      Chicago, even not fully implementing Burnham's plan is still a beautiful city with the Lakefront and the Mag Mile. The city thankfully picked up a lot of his ideas and still continues to do so.

    • @cyberpimp29
      @cyberpimp29 3 года назад +3

      Chiraq

  • @dancastellano3127
    @dancastellano3127 4 года назад +107

    Stunning

  • @steveniswho9254
    @steveniswho9254 3 года назад +323

    Love it, I wish the plan would've been fully implemented, sad to see our cities look like shitholes. Very awful that they put a fucking intersection where Burnam's civic center was supposed to go.

    • @skeptical5727
      @skeptical5727 3 года назад +52

      I'm with you! I would have love to see architecture like this, my patriotism would have been sky rocketing through the roof by now. Architecture brings culture and brings humanity to our lives NOT concrete towers.

    • @danielmoreno-gama5973
      @danielmoreno-gama5973 3 года назад +35

      @@skeptical5727 sadly Americans have opted for libertarian patriotism where if you move a fucking brick your label’s as a commie it’s sad the Republicans are literally doing the reject humanity return to monkey meme

    • @KanyeTheGayFish69
      @KanyeTheGayFish69 3 года назад +23

      @@danielmoreno-gama5973 America was founded on libertarianism you hateful leftist pile of shit

    • @draco_1876
      @draco_1876 3 года назад +14

      @@danielmoreno-gama5973 libertarianism is not to blame

    • @blllllllllllllllllllrlrlrl7059
      @blllllllllllllllllllrlrlrl7059 3 года назад +8

      @@danielmoreno-gama5973 you libtards have to blame everything on Republicans, don't you?

  • @coyotelong4349
    @coyotelong4349 3 года назад +32

    “Paris on the Prairie”? Wouldn’t that be a “Prairis”?

    • @Game_Hero
      @Game_Hero 3 года назад +2

      bud dum tss

    • @MasonGreenWeed
      @MasonGreenWeed 2 года назад

      How you'd be pronounce it? With s or without s

    • @BoricuaKelfa
      @BoricuaKelfa 2 года назад

      @@MasonGreenWeed you would pronounce it "prayer-is"

  • @Max-kd2gh
    @Max-kd2gh 4 года назад +88

    As a Chicago native, it’s better than a lot of other cities I’ve visited in America. We still have lots of parks and downtown is a nice mix of city and nature. Still I kinda hate this city now

    • @Chris-jq4ge
      @Chris-jq4ge 3 года назад +28

      Yeah, its really gone downhill the past decade. Massive political changes are needed to fix it but thatll never happen.

    • @Sphere723
      @Sphere723 3 года назад +16

      Chicago is still the most beautiful of the great US cities.

    • @TheSpecialJ11
      @TheSpecialJ11 3 года назад +15

      @@Chris-jq4ge Chicago has had a lot of ups and downs, but the corruption here is so deeply ingrained in the political culture (from its inception, really) I can't see a timeline in our lifetimes where your tax dollars actually do something. The past decade hasn't been so great, but neither were the preceding three either when compared to Chicago of the 50s and 60s, when the city could afford to be corrupt and still get stuff done. Now all the manufacturing is overseas and millions of dollars are wasted on suburban infrastructure that is way more expensive than traditional development, and the high taxes required to keep up this infrastructure are instead finding their way to the pockets of Mike Madigan and Co.

    • @eriklakeland3857
      @eriklakeland3857 3 года назад +11

      My favorite thing about Chicago is the variety of the housing stock. Only 25% of its housing is single-family homes which is far far lower than most US cities (my city is 60% s-f homes). Love all the duplexes, townhomes, small apartments of Chicago for how they make the city more affordable and foster the dense, vibrant and unique neighborhoods. Much of my city even though it has the address of the core city feels like a giant suburb thanks to the dominance of single-family homes.
      I’d love to see Chicago build an outer loop elevated train line. It’s important for adapting to a post-COVID world where our polycentric cities, like Chicago, will better respond to office consolidation downtown. We need to directly link medical centers, universities, and other regional hubs without forcing riders to go downtown, embracing this polycentricity. Back in the early 2000s, the CTA studied a circular line or outer loop, but that vision needs to be discussed again in this pivotal time.

    • @microbios8586
      @microbios8586 2 года назад +2

      Chicago is miles ahead of nearly all US cities. I find Chicago inspiring, as an example of what is possible in the US. It's a jewel.

  • @mauricehopes9105
    @mauricehopes9105 2 года назад +17

    The burhnam plan while not completely carried out is one of the great guiding principals for the city. Even today the lake front, navy pier, and tons of other parts still shape the city.

    • @TheSpecialJ11
      @TheSpecialJ11 2 года назад

      Seems like most of everyone's favorite parts of the city are the parts in line with the Burnham Plan.

    • @stoggafllik
      @stoggafllik 6 месяцев назад

      Look at Singapore,a lot of aspects from the Burnham plan was implemented there.

  • @NGMonocrom
    @NGMonocrom 3 года назад +37

    I wish his plan was adopted in full. An absolutely beautiful vision of the future that sadly never was.

  • @BigSteak
    @BigSteak 4 года назад +29

    Thank you for covering the wonderful city of Chicago!

  • @orlando1a1
    @orlando1a1 4 года назад +19

    Fascinating and insightful. Thank you.

  • @robertwright4906
    @robertwright4906 3 года назад +52

    Ive always loved Chicago, in fact its probably my Favorite American city that I've been to. Its fascinating to see where the parts I loved came from, the Lakeshore parks really are the best thing.
    Imagine what would have been if the whole plan had been used. Still, the best parts of the city draw inspiration from the plan. What a visionary design!

    • @rosshauler7688
      @rosshauler7688 3 года назад +1

      Michigan avenue sorta has these old vibes still

  • @MarkVinewood
    @MarkVinewood 3 года назад +8

    I wish so deerly that the civic centre had been built. It has such a breathtaking and humbling look to it. A gargantuan monolith from one perspective but yet so stylish and elegant from the other.

  • @mirzaaljic
    @mirzaaljic 3 года назад +33

    This video makes me feel both nice and pissed off at the same time.

  • @xXelitegpXx
    @xXelitegpXx 2 года назад +3

    This is why In Europe, cars are not allowed into or in some cases even near the town squares.

  • @hugodesrosiers-plaisance3156
    @hugodesrosiers-plaisance3156 4 года назад +11

    Impressive channel. I think the algorythm is finally pushing you up!

    • @kingsandthings
      @kingsandthings  4 года назад +4

      Yeah, the RUclips gods have been benevolent recently :)

  • @R1project0
    @R1project0 3 года назад +36

    where has this kind of thinking gone? at least the past 80 years have been so depressing in terms of architecture and urban development.

    • @R1project0
      @R1project0 3 года назад +4

      @Quantum Passport haha I did not expect a proper answer but thanks dude, very insightful!
      Which makes me want to ask you, any takes on Europe? I do get that for the US and their context, but over here we didn't really jump on that same train, yet we still have horrible buildings from the same time period, I do get the cost analysis point, but at least here in the UK, they still use bricks and wood a lot but still make ugly looking buildings xD.
      To further my point, luckily in my hometown, new developments needed to be stylistically in line with early 20th and 19th century buildings, they are clearly made of different materials and are nowhere close to as as decorated as the originals, but they are way prettier than the disgusting 1970s apartment blocks that surround them! which I feel suggests you can actually have both functionality and aesthetics.
      Which is what I am thinking of when I wonder "where has this thinking gone?", as in, when did we decide we had to decouple functionality from beauty in architecture?
      I apologise for the short essay haha

    • @mynillion
      @mynillion 3 года назад +6

      A good chunk of it also probably has to do with everything being built up to the extent that it is already, you can't exactly go through and replan the entire street layout of a city of millions. Too many different owners, too many people, and too expensive. European cities that were more affected by WWII for example look a lot similar to American cities because a lot of them were almost completely leveled. A lot of it comes down to cost, just like how it's too expensive to redo built up American cities, there wasn't really a point redoing already built up European cities, except for in the cases where they were reduced to rubble.

    • @ultrapro167
      @ultrapro167 3 года назад +4

      Bauhaus school of architecture in Weimar Germany in 1930s through today. Go down the rabbit hole

    • @Hhhh22222-w
      @Hhhh22222-w 2 года назад

      You can thank cars.

    • @johnperic6860
      @johnperic6860 10 месяцев назад

      Leftism and the autoindustry.

  • @uzairakram899
    @uzairakram899 3 года назад +3

    This channel is a hidden gem

  • @JimmyJazz332
    @JimmyJazz332 3 года назад +4

    3:52 , Then the city builds a highway through it removing it from any form of public recreation outside of driving quickly on it.

  • @MrDude826
    @MrDude826 3 года назад +82

    What? Why din't they go with it!? Chicago would have been so beautiful....soo sad...

  • @Sihengli
    @Sihengli 3 года назад +4

    Incredible work!
    keep at it!
    the quality of a work alone justifies its creation, applause is the day of rest which follows.

  • @maYTeus
    @maYTeus 2 года назад

    Wow RUclips algo is wild. This video is 2 years old and it's been at the top of my recommended for almost 2 weeks. It's an inspiring video non the less

  • @tyler6636
    @tyler6636 3 года назад +5

    this deserves a lot more views!!

  • @ayanna6327
    @ayanna6327 2 года назад +7

    As a Chicagoan I am sick to my stomach seeing this. This would have been very lovely to have in our city, and downtown could have still been downtown.

  • @Vaprous
    @Vaprous 2 года назад +7

    Man... whenever I see fellow Americans claim that our cities couldn't ever be like Paris because "we are too young and our cities were built for the car" ...
    The car as we know it was invented in the 1908 and didn't become popular until the 1920s.
    The USA has been functionally independent since 1776 i.e 244 years, and that means that all major cities of the USA that already existed by 1920 were at least two hundred years old, and some cities are far older, dating back to the original start of English colonization in the New World (Boston is 391 years old for instance); well before the contemporary car had popularity in America as a mode of transportation, cities in the US were already centuries old. Rebuilding of American cities to accommodate motor vehicles didn't happen until the *1950s*. By all accounts, all major cities in the USA were built before the car, and were only later adapted to the car in the last 70-90 years.
    It is a blatant revision of history to suggest otherwise is silly. American cities were built for foot traffic and horse carriage, and inner-city light rail systems like trams. There's a plethora of evidence to this fact that's freely available. Photos *and* film; paintings, writings. You don't even need to look at older cities; *newer* cities in places like Japan, Korea or China are considerably more walkable and less car dependant, and these cities were *definitely* only recently constructed in the last 70 years; yet aren't as shit as their older American counterparts.
    My point is this is an *excuse* made in ignorance for why American cities suck; one Americans use to pretend like they couldn't have better if they tried.

    • @sharronneedles6721
      @sharronneedles6721 2 года назад

      Those cities may have already existed, but we must remember that they were absolutely BULLDOSED to build highways and roads and intersections. You make a good point, it's just not true.

    • @Vaprous
      @Vaprous 2 года назад +4

      @@sharronneedles6721 > they were absolutely BULLDOSED to build highways and roads and intersections.
      ...in the 50s and 60s, and 70s.
      There are people people alive today before the first highway was even built in the USA.
      There are people still alive who grew up when many of the first ones are still new.
      Most high ways are less than 70 years old. The point that our cities weren't rebuilt for cars until very recently, very much still stands.

    • @sharronneedles6721
      @sharronneedles6721 2 года назад

      @@Vaprous it doesn't matter if people were alive before then. Example: if an apartment building was built with 13 floors, and it was torn down untill there were only 2 floors; it doesn't matter how old the people were who lived in it- its demolished. Once something is demolished its gone, and it doesn't matter how many people may have a memory of it.

  • @ImpeRiaLismus
    @ImpeRiaLismus 3 года назад +26

    Incredible beautiful! I hope people will value beauty again one day.

  • @jaftem2x
    @jaftem2x 3 года назад +10

    You should do a video on Los Angeles' park system that could have been. LA could have had an emerald-necklace type park system that would span the entire basin, but was shut down by city officials when they found out the plan would include a park police system that would rival their authority.

  • @cunatoo
    @cunatoo 3 года назад +2

    man, i love ur videos! keep up the great work!

  • @popzstudios6358
    @popzstudios6358 3 года назад +13

    I would love to see a video like this on Buffalo, NY in the future.

  • @realtissaye
    @realtissaye 2 года назад +1

    I love how you link the songs in the description mate

  • @thefrub
    @thefrub 3 года назад +35

    Detroit could do this now. Those big swaths of empty land that used to be homes, should be a city planner's wet dream

    • @MrCtsSteve
      @MrCtsSteve 3 года назад +5

      I've thought about that as well ..you look at city shots from 50-60yrs back compared to today ...its mind blowing .

    • @Christoph-sd3zi
      @Christoph-sd3zi 2 года назад +2

      You still have to deal with the B****s

    • @dickjohnson9582
      @dickjohnson9582 2 года назад

      @@Christoph-sd3zi Lmaooo N-words in paris

  • @SamuelKristopher
    @SamuelKristopher 2 года назад

    First time seeing this channel in my recommendeds - definitely did not disappoint. Clear, succinct, great visuals relevant to the information, nothing superfluous. In the words of wise old man, "We will watch your career with great interest."

  • @Dan-xt7sv
    @Dan-xt7sv 3 года назад +7

    The automobile and its consequences have been a disaster for the human race

    • @reesehendricksen269
      @reesehendricksen269 3 года назад +1

      Yeah, having a world that doesn’t conform to my standard of beauty is worse than improving the independence and livelihood of billions.

    • @Dan-xt7sv
      @Dan-xt7sv 3 года назад +4

      @@reesehendricksen269 Yes.

    • @sharronneedles6721
      @sharronneedles6721 2 года назад

      @@reesehendricksen269 yes because bulldozing a city to build a freeway = independence. The problem is you dear.

  • @heliosapollyon4391
    @heliosapollyon4391 3 года назад +5

    That is exactly how cities should be designed

  • @romanr.301
    @romanr.301 3 года назад +10

    I love my city 💛 but while it does have one of the best and most extensive public transit networks in the US (which is saying a lot about the state of public transit in American cities), I wish there were even more means of transit. Something like the Vienna system of public transit; trains, trams, and buses all working in a highly efficient and extensive network. Also, transit systems that connect Chicago more with its outlying suburbs would be great in integrating the city and making it more accessible. I also think parks and public beautification, besides just aesthetics, can actually provide opportunities for communities to really take pride in their residences and could help with tourism and even crime somewhat, even if only marginally

  • @dougfowler1368
    @dougfowler1368 2 года назад +2

    Perhaps apropos of nothing, but this reminds me of my grandma telling of a train trip to Chicago they took in 1933 and the famous large aquarium was already there. So obviously there had been a fair amount of construction, even with an eye toward tourism, in the twenties. (and no they weren't rich, that's why this vacation was so memorable. In fact my great grandpa lost his job early the next year and needed help to save the family house, which he got from an aunt of his.) My grandpa, This Woman's husband, also remembers a layover about 10 years later when he was coming home from the military and

    • @dougfowler1368
      @dougfowler1368 2 года назад

      Sorry, typing on my tablet and hit returned too fast. He spoke of how Lively the Theater District was even back then, and the fact that he watched the musical Oklahoma during his layover.

  • @mygetawayart
    @mygetawayart 3 года назад +6

    there's a reason why these architects took inspiration from european cities time and time again.

    • @KanyeTheGayFish69
      @KanyeTheGayFish69 3 года назад +4

      Because Europeans have an inflated egotistical sense of self importance and arrogance?

    • @axo6604
      @axo6604 2 года назад +2

      @@KanyeTheGayFish69 says american

  • @crash_cris7602
    @crash_cris7602 3 года назад +11

    Thanks again YT Algorithm, finally picked you up!
    Really interesting video!

  • @ryelundy2024
    @ryelundy2024 3 года назад +9

    The city if Saskatoon, Saskatchewan up here in Canada is known as the "Paris of the Prairies".

    • @GavinMichaels
      @GavinMichaels 3 года назад

      That’s ironic, considering Canada already has Montreal and Quebec City for that 😅

    • @ryelundy2024
      @ryelundy2024 3 года назад

      @@GavinMichaels Not really considering Montreal and Quebec are nowhere fucking close to the Prairie.

    • @p.nguyen8136
      @p.nguyen8136 2 года назад +1

      Saskatoon does not look bad, but "Paris on the Prairie" is quite an exaggeration lol.

  • @Lukas-qf2uh
    @Lukas-qf2uh 2 года назад +4

    Could have? It is. Chicago is easily the prettiest city in the US, probably all of the America's, and one of the most beautiful in the world.

    • @Heisenberg882
      @Heisenberg882 2 года назад +2

      It's full of soulless, modern architecture

    • @Lukas-qf2uh
      @Lukas-qf2uh 2 года назад +2

      @@Heisenberg882 I can understand not liking skyscrapers and modern architecture, but Chicago has the best modern architecture hands down. Lots of very inventive styles and technique. You sound like you're applying the valid real criticisms of other modern skylines (like New York) to Chicago.

  • @mumblerocks77
    @mumblerocks77 3 года назад +10

    The diagonal streets called for at 4:52 are the wave we need to still be on. The Grid is way too oppressive and large blocks aren't as walkable.

  • @NonSequitur404
    @NonSequitur404 3 года назад +1

    Great video, and thanks for providing such high quality plans and drawings. Really nice to see them.

  • @anxietywave8735
    @anxietywave8735 3 года назад +6

    I wanna visit the alternate universe where this Chicago exists.

  • @Lucky-sh1dm
    @Lucky-sh1dm 2 года назад +2

    lollapalooza 2018 on the Friday of that weekend I tripped off a pretty decent acid dose and walking around the city gazing at the architecture was so god damn tremendous

  • @bionity4749
    @bionity4749 2 года назад +2

    Meanwhile in Paris, it's a constant fight to preserve the shape of the city against greedy contractors.

  • @TheLiamster
    @TheLiamster Год назад +1

    I really wish this project was built in it’s entirety

  • @devinbutler3271
    @devinbutler3271 2 года назад +3

    I currently live Chicago and loves it’s beauty however I wish Chicago had a city like this

  • @lexingtonconcord8751
    @lexingtonconcord8751 4 года назад +2

    Well done. Thank you Kings and Things!

  • @Konrad_Festung
    @Konrad_Festung 3 года назад +7

    The World That Should Have Been.

  • @HeavyMxtal
    @HeavyMxtal 2 года назад

    5:52 broke my heart. I live in Chicago and after seeing that, its like I cant unsee it.

  • @charlesdarwin7253
    @charlesdarwin7253 3 года назад +51

    Seeing the old Chicago street plans and the Chicago skyline today it really does look like the most beautiful city in the world. Living in Toronto I'm always comparing my city with theirs, and I'm jealous. At least I feel jealous until I look at the southside, where it starts to look identical to Detroit, and until I look at the suburbs, where it starts to look like a virus spreading people further and further into the abyss.

    • @bademantil6046
      @bademantil6046 3 года назад +12

      If you take a look at "The Slaughter of Cities" from an author E Michael Jones, you might get an insight about rapid deterioration of great industial cities of the North as a result of social engineering at play.

    • @spaghettigod43
      @spaghettigod43 3 года назад +9

      Their Southside used to be beautiful iirc. Many buildings still exist down there with beautiful classical facades. They're just not maintained.

    • @charlesdarwin7253
      @charlesdarwin7253 3 года назад +1

      @@spaghettigod43 I do find their chimneys quite beautiful too, but its besides the point when the locals are living in subsidized housing and the neighbourhoods arent maintained.

    • @glaxxico907
      @glaxxico907 2 года назад +2

      I'd say south side still looks better than Detroit in most parts.

    • @earthandwind820
      @earthandwind820 2 года назад

      A lot of the Chicago suburbs are very cookie cutter and not interesting. If you look at suburbs from other cities, they’re more interesting. There are some exceptions though: towns like Evanston & Oak Park don’t feel cookie cutter.
      The south side has a lot of beautiful buildings, but there’s a lot of poverty, so they’re not really maintained.
      Neighborhoods like Wicker Park, Logan Square, Lincoln Park have a lot of outstanding examples of maintained architecture. I’ve never been to Detroit or Toronto, so I can’t really compare it. I know I lived in Milwaukee, WI for college and even the south side of Chicago was less shocking than Milwaukee and Milwaukee doesn’t have half as bad of a reputation as Detroit or the south side.

  • @IsaacSmelcZhan
    @IsaacSmelcZhan 2 года назад +2

    David Burnham is one of my favorite architects.

  • @randombystander5324
    @randombystander5324 2 года назад +3

    This would have been the most beautiful city ever to be bulldozed for the car.

  • @nathan_agnew
    @nathan_agnew 3 года назад +2

    My grandfather Charles J Mulligan was a Chicago sculptor from the Columbian Exposition, he worked with the Chicago Beautiful movement.

  • @traceford4904
    @traceford4904 3 года назад +6

    America doesn't exactly make beautiful cities like some of the ones in Europe. A Parisian-esque city here in the states would have been pretty cool.

    • @pahwraith
      @pahwraith 3 года назад +2

      Washington dc.

    • @reesehendricksen269
      @reesehendricksen269 3 года назад +1

      The streets of Paris were designed so the government could kill protesters, that is not culture, it is barbaric.

    • @traceford4904
      @traceford4904 3 года назад

      @@reesehendricksen269 Who'da thought there'd be beauty in Barbarianism lmao.

  • @abelardo-mtnmssnxx
    @abelardo-mtnmssnxx 3 года назад +36

    It could have been that. Instead it is a succession of "copy an paste" suburbs, ghettos, and downtown Chicago is full of parking lot buildings and soulless skyscrapers.

    • @DD-ws6cu
      @DD-ws6cu 3 года назад +11

      This is the most inaccurate depiction of Chicago I have ever heard.

    • @thomasgeschke9553
      @thomasgeschke9553 3 года назад +4

      What are you on about? Chicago is anything but soulless. It was a forerunner in the development of skyscrapers, and is known partially for it's beautiful, iconic skyline. Not to mention, its suburbs vary widely. There are poorer and richer areas, sure, but take a drive down Sheridan Road and tell me the North Shore suburbs are "copy and paste."
      No doubt, the city retains high levels of segregation and a high crime rate in poor neighborhoods. However, I don't think the complex issues Chicago faces make the city into some urban hellscape. Especially when taking into account that there are plenty of cities in the US with higher per capita murder rate. Chicago has its problems, for sure, but remains a diverse, fascinating place.

    • @sm3675
      @sm3675 3 года назад +1

      @@thomasgeschke9553 I wouldn't say "souless", but for it's history and size, it is a city that is hidden from pop-culture.

    • @thomasgeschke9553
      @thomasgeschke9553 3 года назад

      @@sm3675 How has it been hidden from pop culture? Plenty of films and TV shows have been/are set there. Many music tours go through the city. And let’s not forget how big Lollapalooza is as a festival. There’s plenty of tourism in the summer. It has some world class museums. I don’t really know what you mean by hidden.

  • @garretphegley8796
    @garretphegley8796 3 года назад +37

    We could've had the Paris of the Prarie...
    But we went with Chiraq

    • @pandorski35000
      @pandorski35000 3 года назад +1

      at first, i thought you were talking about Chirac, an ex président of ours and then discovered what it meant (chicago+irak), always that weapons problem, you have to adress that by the law, even the constitution

    • @maddog5284
      @maddog5284 3 года назад +1

      @@pandorski35000 weapons are not the problem as much as poor uneducated youth who idolise rap that talks about gang culture and crime instead of idolising people of merit. And let's not forget the all the family issues and coruption with is the city and there family's. Banning guns or banning knifes will never solve the issues.

    • @pandorski35000
      @pandorski35000 3 года назад +1

      @@maddog5284 I'm sure we will not agree on that and it's a possibility i accept, but for example in Europe, weapons are not easily accessible, morality : we have almost no casualties to deplore, when bad and/or stupid people want to use them, they just can't or illegaly and then they know what they're exposed to, so i really think the question of accesibility to weapons is at the contrary central

    • @Ares_gaming_117
      @Ares_gaming_117 3 года назад

      @@pandorski35000 No Switzerland has more weapons per person than us. We have a bad gang problem; guns are just the tool.

    • @pandorski35000
      @pandorski35000 3 года назад +3

      @@Ares_gaming_117 you know that it's due to the fact of the military service and men keep their weapons home, right ? they don"t buy them like burgers, it's a national duty

  • @knockshinnoch1950
    @knockshinnoch1950 3 года назад +8

    Fascinating. This would be a superb project to build the proposed plan in Cities Skylines City Builder/ Simulation game

  • @pedrkbts
    @pedrkbts 3 года назад +17

    This kind of reform happened in Rio de Janeiro too. In 1922 the city hosted an international exposition, celebrating the 100 years of independence, and received a series of reforms, to replace its former colonial appearance with brand new ecletic buildings and large avenues. It was called "Paris à Beira Mar" wich means Paris by the Sea.

  • @marcamant7258
    @marcamant7258 3 года назад +2

    Trés interessant et bien traité. Bravo

  • @sambulleit6191
    @sambulleit6191 3 года назад +13

    Honestly, I live in Chicago and if you wanna see that civic center all you gotta do is go to the Bahai House of Worship lmao

    • @TheDavidRJ
      @TheDavidRJ 3 года назад +1

      It's not in Chicago proper.

  • @renov_lyrics
    @renov_lyrics 3 года назад +2

    Burnham's Manila masterplan can still be seen today. In fact, few of the masterplan's buildings is still standing upto this day.

    • @thwb4661
      @thwb4661 2 года назад +1

      Burnham's Manila plan was 20-50% laid out, it's most obvious in the Ermita and Malate districts. However, the farther you go from the downtown area, the less obvious it gets, especially the ones near the border to Quezon City because Burnham's Manila plan was shelved to prioritize creating and designing what soon to be, Quezon City, during the 1930s. The worse thing though, is WW2 ruined the pre-war structures in Manila, and most were never rebuilt again.

  • @Slangh
    @Slangh 2 года назад +5

    The lack of attention this plan had to social issues was nothing compared to how the highway system eventually made them many times worse by tearing entire neighbourhoods apart.

  • @leonardkrol2600
    @leonardkrol2600 3 года назад +6

    What Chicago needs to do is to rebuild Miegs Field and arrest the crooks that destroyed it. An airport on a lakefront part was part of the Burham plan.

  • @Lachausis
    @Lachausis 3 года назад +28

    If you want to be informed, stop watching TV. Just seek out little gems like this. Reminds me of the old time docus, where facts were presented in a academic manner.

    • @CommonContentArchive
      @CommonContentArchive 4 месяца назад +1

      I don't think anyone under 40 watches TV nowadays, so your wish is coming true

    • @Lachausis
      @Lachausis 4 месяца назад

      @@CommonContentArchive instead they are now watching internet influencers and media shorts, and leeching off the twitter BS. Everything has been compromised.

  • @Lozo39
    @Lozo39 4 года назад +1

    Your channel is so good I love it !

  • @Mr-Prasguerman
    @Mr-Prasguerman 2 года назад +3

    É incrível como o urbanismo avançou tanto
    E simultâneamente decaiu tanto......

  • @bartolomeestebanmurillo4459
    @bartolomeestebanmurillo4459 3 года назад +8

    Interesting to imagine what could have been, all the plans that were never implemented. I suppose in some alternate reality, these cities would look a lot different.

  • @n0thyng
    @n0thyng 3 года назад +5

    IMAGINE THE SEARS TOWER IN PARIS

  • @maximillianpleason568
    @maximillianpleason568 2 года назад

    Wow! Really great video! Hope to see more urban planning history on the channel!

  • @EthanUslabar
    @EthanUslabar 3 года назад +3

    This channel is dummy underrated

  • @motorcitysmitty4
    @motorcitysmitty4 3 года назад +1

    New subscriber, high-quality content.

  • @unclesam5230
    @unclesam5230 4 года назад +11

    A city fit for an emperor of America.

    • @mbathroom1
      @mbathroom1 3 года назад

      Hey its Micah. I had no idea you watched kings and things

    • @unclesam5230
      @unclesam5230 3 года назад

      @@mbathroom1 yes I do it’s very good content

    • @catcici6720
      @catcici6720 3 года назад

      We just need a competent mayor and guverner.

    • @MasonGreenWeed
      @MasonGreenWeed 2 года назад

      Emperor Norton seat is in San Francisco

  • @Demosthenes409
    @Demosthenes409 2 года назад +2

    America as a whole could be so much better than what it is right now

  • @aaronjones8905
    @aaronjones8905 2 года назад +2

    In biology, I was taught that form equals function.
    But in architecture and design, building for beauty allows any function to occur.

  • @bobbyswanson3498
    @bobbyswanson3498 3 года назад +33

    Chicago would be much more interesting if it was designed to feel like a European city

  • @mushmush4980
    @mushmush4980 2 года назад +3

    Guess I'll have to live the rest of my life wondering about the alternate reality where Chicago has positive connotations

  • @craigkdillon
    @craigkdillon 2 года назад +1

    I am glad we didn't build more diagonal streets. They are inefficient, and interrupt traffic flow.
    They interfere with the timing of traffic lights.
    BTW -- the diagonal streets that Chicago has have nothing to do with Burnham or his plan.
    Lake street, Milwaukee, Elston, and Ogden were all Indian trails or wagon trails that predate the founding of Chicago.

    • @CastleBomb44
      @CastleBomb44 2 года назад

      Interesting to know about those Indian trails.. I'll need to read about that more

    • @craigkdillon
      @craigkdillon 2 года назад

      @@CastleBomb44 I don't know where you could learn about them. I learned about them growing up in Chicago.
      For instance, where Rogers and Caldwell intersected was where the Pottawatomi village of Chief Sauganash once sat.
      Rogers was also called Indian Boundary because that was the boundary set by an earlier treaty.
      But, they were expelled from Chicago. The Pottowatomi village was razed, and the area platted out, and homes built there.
      The neighborhood is now the wealthiest in Chicago, filled with mansions.

  • @kamalindsey
    @kamalindsey 2 года назад +3

    How is the psychology on the importance of aesthetic surroundings for the well being of humans? Block towers might be in a logical sense more "practical", but we aren't robots. Humans are quite illogical in these ways, our emotional basis that we cannot ignore is often driven by very illogical things. That's kind of my view of these beautiful older cities vs the Cold War build up of "practical" architecture. People see it as a waste, but it might not be, ironically unpractical architecture might be more practical when it comes to humans need for enviromental beauty.

  • @alexanderoddest2784
    @alexanderoddest2784 3 года назад

    Fun fact, those 12-14 floor buildings used to be massive back then. Now, they're office buildings or hotels.

  • @seybertooth9282
    @seybertooth9282 3 года назад +12

    Could Chicago have become "Paris on the Prairie"?
    No. To become Paris anywhere you'd need lots and lots of something that is in short supply in the US: culture.

    • @reesehendricksen269
      @reesehendricksen269 3 года назад +2

      You know the streets of Paris were designed so cannons could mow down people uprisings right? Culture indeed.

    • @mitonaarea5856
      @mitonaarea5856 2 года назад +2

      Meh the US has culture. The problem is neoliberalism which killed every aspect of US culture

  • @prototypeinheritance515
    @prototypeinheritance515 3 года назад +1

    excellent music choice!

  • @Username-le4eq
    @Username-le4eq 3 года назад +3

    Just think that theres an alternate universe where this city exist

  • @dzman5354
    @dzman5354 3 года назад +1

    Never knew the Chicago lake front had butiful parks! Great video!