The West Side Corridor is a vision for a more flexible Planned Manufacturing District which allows for evolving economies and concurrent development of surrounding communities. This project challenges the typical zoning practices that inhibit growth and diversity of the urban fabric.
The West Side Corridor is located within a Chicago Planned Manufacturing District, an area zoned to foster manufacturing by prohibiting residential development and other specific uses. This lack of flexibility in zoning requirements has left areas with vacant and underutilized land, without integrating the surrounding neighborhoods. The site, typical to others in Chicago, consists largely of vacant lots with a train line cutting directly through it. By building a platform on top of the rail lines, the programmatic functions of a light-manufacturing district are kept intact at the base, while creating a space for new types of development above. The roofs of the base buildings join with the rail platform to create a landscaped area that serves as a 28-acre park for the surrounding neighborhoods.
