Daniel Burnham and Edward Bennett’s 1909 “Plan of Chicago” was perhaps the country’s most celebrated urban plan.  But efforts to use wisely land for housing, transportation and open space preservation in the Chicago region in the 100 years that followed have had a more mixed track record.

The long and sometimes bumpy road in the physical evolution of the Chicago metropolitan area is detailed in a new book “Beyond Burnham: An Illustrated History of Planning for the Chicago Region” by Joseph P. Schwieterman, professor of public service at DePaul University and director of its Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development, and Alan P. Mammoser, a Chicago-based writer and urban planner.

Schwieterman and Mammoser will discuss the book and sign copies at a lecture from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the DePaul Barnes & Noble Store, 1 E. Jackson Blvd., Chicago.

Drawing on a rich array of resources, the fully illustrated book takes a sweeping historical view of the genesis, creation and implementation of the Burnham Plan. It then examines the planning efforts that followed later in the 20^th century and beyond.

The organizations and people who shaped plans for integrated housing, efficient transportation systems and sustainable green spaces are chronicled, and the fruits of their efforts – as well as their failures – are examined.

“Chicago has been a laboratory for the incubation of some of the most creative ideas in urban design and planning,” said Schwieterman.  “‘Beyond Burnham’ attempts to examine the cumulative impact of these efforts over the past century.”

Among the topics the book addresses are:

How momentum for implementation of elements of the Plan of Chicago was maintained decades after its creation;

Efforts to build on the legacy of the 1893 Columbian Exposition through the 1933-34 Century of Progress World’s Fair;

The early history of intercity road building and how the emergence of expressways and toll ways forever altered the Chicago area’s landscape;

How mass transit emerged in piecemeal fashion through private operators before being taken over by municipal governments and, ultimately, a regional agency;

The creation of O’Hare International Airport and Chicago’s emergence as the world’s leading aviation hub, as well as subsequent controversy surrounding attempts to expand the regional airport system.

Additionally, DePaul will present an exhibition on Daniel Burnham and Chicago City Planning Exhibit from Sept. 18 through Dec. 18 at the John T. Richardson Library, 2350 N. Kenmore Ave., Chicago. An exhibit in the Department of Special Collections and Archives will feature DePaul’s original copy of the 1909 Plan of Chicago. It includes responses to the Burnham Plan, plans for other civic improvements and background on the city that needed the plans to shape its growth and future. For more information, contact Kathryn DeGraff at kdegraff@depaul.edu.

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