Last Four Miles:  Mother Nature’s New Beaches should be acquired by Park District

Friends of the Parks released the Last Four Miles Plan this summer as part of the Burnham Centennial Celebration.  One of the fundamental principles of Daniel Burnham’s vision and the Plan of Chicago was to create a public lakefront park system.  It is one of the key Burnham features implemented for 26 of the 30 miles of Lake Michigan.  This remarkable public lakefront that was envisioned by the early citizens of Chicago and later by the great planners and activists Olmsted, Burnham and Ward has resulted in Chicago being one of the nation’s great cities.   Even in such difficult times as the Great Depression and wars, Chicago taxpayers voted affirmatively on 83 binding referenda to increase their property tax dollars to invest in their future by continuing to construct lakefront parks, both on the North and South Sides of the city.  FOTP’s Last Four Miles Plan presents a concept for the next several years to embrace and finish the work of previous generations by completing Chicago’s most important urban asset:  Lake Michigan and its lakefront park system.  The plan is anticipated to be accomplished over time as funds become available. 

The first phases, however, can be accomplished with no public dollars.  Over 140 acres of lakefront land between the Calumet River and Calumet Park lie fallow and barricaded off from the public with razor wire.  A simple, zero cost amendment to state legislation could transfer that land to the Park District for a future lakefront park.  

A second no cost public park expansion opportunity exists on both the North and South Sides where Mother Nature has caused Lake Michigan to recede and, thus, created acres of new beaches.   Recently, more than five acres of new parks have been formed from Ardmore to Lane beach, thus implementing part of the Last Four Miles Plan naturally.   Indeed, Friends of the Parks calls on the city and the Chicago Park District to claim that parkland and take advantage of this opportunity to complete our lakefront path.   In year one, with no dollars expended, the first 160 acres of the Last Four Miles could be completed. 

In this era of far too much reliance on automobiles and far too little encouragement to our children to get away from video games, the completion of the lakefront path for pedestrians and bikers is a worthwhile investment for future generations, echoing the gifts bestowed on us by our ancestors. 

You can receive a copy of the Last Four Miles Plan by contributing a donation of $20.00 or more.  Please email Eleanor Roemer at roemere@fotp.org for more information