Coping With Growth: CityLab 1995 in Lockport,
Illinois
Lockport has long been distinguished from other southwestern Chicago
metro-area communities by its rich history and its stability. Lockport
was founded in 1836 as the headquarters of the Illinois and Michigan Canal,
and became a center of quarrying and grain industries in the late 1800’s.
Over time, commerce shifted from the canal to the railroad to the highway,
and Lockport’s downtown area was surpassed by new commercial developments
on the periphery. In the past ten years, the population of Lockport has
grown by a third and its physical area has nearly doubled. This rapid
expansion is expected to continue, and it will affect Lockport’s
character.
The Fall 1995 CityLab studio worked collaboratively with Lockport community
residents and officials to find ways to accommodate its growth while meeting
the needs and interests of community residents. Architecture and planning
students created development scenarios to serve as a basis for discussions
about future planning efforts. These land use development models were
presented at a community forum, in which residents and officials were
able to indicate which alternatives they favored. Four land-use development
models were chosen and elaborated: The Greenway Concept, with dual town
centers and a greenway system connecting the entire city; the Hybrid Concept,
which created a retail node along I-355 and increased density near downtown;
the Zoned Development Concept, which maintained and enhanced the existing
downtown while creating four mixed-use density zones; and the Network
Concept, which emphasized preservation and a consistent grid pattern.
All four of these models, together with the students’ and faculty’s
extensive research, are summarized in the report, “Growth Choices
for Lockport.”
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Map of Illinois with project location
Greenway Concept
Hybrid Concept
Zoned Development Concept
Network Concept
Proposals for four land use development models
for Lockport, Illinois
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City Design Center Affiliated Faculty
Dana Buntrock, former Assistant Professor, School of Architecture
Julie Gross, Adjunct Assistant Professor, School of Architecture
George Hemmens, Professor, Urban Planning Program, and Co-Director,
City Design Center
Jack Stone, Adjunct Assistant Professor, School of Architecture
Funding
City of Lockport
Lockport Township Park District
The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation
The R&R Winters Family Foundation
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