Village of Worth Comprehensive Retail Plan
Spring 2004 - Summer 2004
In 2004 the City Design Center created
a new program area in retail revitalization.
Each academic year the
Center's Urban Business
Districts Program works with a
municipality or community group to
create a comprehensive retail plan
for a business district experiencing
design and economic challenges.
The Program is often conducted in
conjunction with a graduate studio
class in urban planning.
In December of 2003 the Village of
Worth, Illinois was selected as the
first municipal partner in the
Revitalizing Urban Business Districts
Program. Worth is an inner suburban
municipality of approximately 11,000
residents located to the southwest of
Chicago. Worth's retail environment
was dominated by automobile-oriented
corridors with poor pedestrian
access and little room for horizontal
expansion. Underutilized assets
included an active commuter rail station,
a number of independent businesses
and dense residential neighborhoods
adjoining the retail district.
The City Design Center's plan for
Worth examined five different functional
areas: retail, physical design,
transportation, regulatory conditions,
and fiscal issues. Through retail surveys
of existing residents and business
owners as well as design preference
surveys and market analysis,
the City Design Center recommended
a "Main Street" strategy for the
Village that included new mixed-use
development around the rail station,
and reform of zoning standards to
enhance community design and
establish appropriate levels of retail
activity. |
Map of Chicago with project location
111th Street development concepts
Proposed gateway to 111th Street
Schematic design for intersection of Harlem Avenue and 111th Street
|
City Design Center Affiliated Faculty
Brent D. Ryan, Assistant Professor, Urban
Planning and Policy Program, and
Co-Director, City Design Center
Rachel N. Weber, Associate Professor, Urban
Planning and Policy Program
Funding
Village of Worth
|
