Pass/Fail: Latest Ideas for Chicago River A Mixed Bag

The 24-acre park near the Lincoln Yards project, The North Branch Park & Nature Preserve, would ensure access to the river for generations to come (a similar idea has worked pretty well for our lakefront.) Plus, neighbors of this fast-developing waterfront space would benefit from nature trails, play areas, boardwalks and a boat launch.

Frisbie notes the wonderful natural areas "will provide habitat instream and along the bank while reducing pollution to the river." The Sun-Times notes that the alternative might only be pockets of green space, hardly keeping in the spirit of a "City in a Garden."

The aerial tram, cluttering both the sky and the ground, doesn't do justice to that spirit either. One of our Facebook friends likened it to Star Wars, another to Disney World. "Stay classy!" posted one critic.