Design & Build Case Study:

Chicago, IL

How Chicago, Illinois Worked with the Community to Design the Wild Mile 

“Restoring life to the Chicago River goes beyond the plants and wildlife.”

– Urban Rivers

Aerial photo of the Wild Mile in Chicago. Photo credit: Scott Shigley

Project Description

The Wild Mile in Chicago is a grassroots-led, community-centered initiative transforming the North Branch Canal, also called Ogden’s Canal, into a 17-acre floating eco-park. What started as an idea for a floating garden/wetland in a 2014 master’s thesis, later informed a vision for a river park in the City of Chicago’s North Branch Framework. The framework was produced in partnership with the community and approved by the Chicago Plan Commission in 2017. From 2018 to 2019, the City of Chicago commissioned Urban Rivers to create the Wild Mile Framework Plan. The plan was informed by community input and developed in partnership with Omni Ecosystems, Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill (SOM), Near North Unity Program, and NeighborSpace, among others. Urban Rivers was then awarded open space impact fee funds from the City of Chicago in 2021 to install the first phase of the Wild Mile. The floating wetlands and native plants within the Wild Mile act as natural filters, removing excess nutrients and other pollutants from stormwater runoff after draining into the river. The project aims to reintroduce riparian and emergent zones, which are important ecological bridges that help manage stormwater, reduce erosion, and create valuable habitat.

With consistent community engagement, from design charrettes to local feedback sessions, the team prioritized ecological restoration, public access, and reflective green space. Guided by the principles of collaborative design and environmental justice, the Wild Mile exemplifies how public participation, local insight, and adaptive planning can reinvigorate underutilized spaces into vibrant, valued urban nature spaces. Today, the initial two segments of the Wild Mile are complete, with future installments planned as funding becomes available. Floating gardens have also been installed at Bubbly Creek and River Park, as well at a property owned by Prologis.

Best Practices in Action

The Wild Mile project centered community voices throughout the entire design process, from concept to implementation. Rather than treating engagement as a one-time event, the project team facilitated ongoing, inclusive participation. Team members invited community input through design charrettes, youth-focused drawing activities, and used tools like drone footage to help illustrate design possibilities at the existing site. The design team learned that participants needed support from the team to understand how their ideas and input could integrate into a functional design. By walking the project area with participants, and moving away from renderings, it helped enhance understanding of the project site and design opportunities.

The project team recognized the need to reflect the diverse interests of the surrounding neighborhood, future park users, and voices that were not in the room throughout the engagement process. For this reason, they worked to involve both nature advocates and residents who had not traditionally seen the river as a recreational or welcoming space. Community input directly shaped the project’s direction. Early in the process their feedback helped establish a vision for the park. Although the community considered economic opportunities at the site, they ultimately envisioned a reflective, quiet place for park visitors to experience the river. The team then prioritized a nature-based vision. For example, the team came up with design solutions to help community members discover the fish and wildlife underneath the surface of the river. The boardwalk design includes shallow areas and camera traps to easily view underwater habitat, while including features like wetland plants to draw wildlife. 

By considering the ongoing role of the local community in using and caring for the space, the design accommodates future community use, such as spaces for art installations or research, and supports easier maintenance. Through these efforts, the Wild Mile demonstrates how collaborative design can build trust, reflect diverse needs, and create lasting public spaces.