C H I C A G O P R O J E C T
The Problem:
Urban sprawl has become one of the main problems facing the transportation network in Chicago today. In search of a more private, spacious home, people have been fleeing the city center for the surrounding suburban communities. Eventually these communities became as bad as the city and people began to spread out to even greater distances. The region has seen its developed size explode over the past decade without such growth in population. This rapid expansion has led to a critical shortage in infrastructure. Not only are sewer, water, and power stretched to capacity, the worst is the transportation network. This element of infrastructure is controlled at a variety of levels of agencies, from local to state. This complexity gives transportation a more difficult time in keeping pace with the urban expansion.
The Goals:
-Conserve and protect open space in developing communities from being over-developed or turned into massive highways
-Create a synchronized system consisting of three parts: the existing downtown El, a high-tech, high speed hybrid fuel light rail system, and hybrid fuel buses
-Refurbish the deteriorating bus stops and train stations to appeal to the public, and then advertise and market the new, faster system
The Benefits:
-Less roadway congestion
-Faster commuting times
-More people going downtown
-Improved air quality
-Increase in job opportunities
-Open space preservation for posterity
This is a rough idea of the new transit system. The bus routes are not
definite, but will be determined by each individual community.
