Lightfoot releases report of recommendations to enhance Chicago's Museum Campus

Soldier Field dome the topper for Chicago's lakefront plan

Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the Museum Campus working group, composed of 23 civic leaders, released "Where Worlds Connect" Thursday — a report detailing recommendations to enhance the Museum Campus.

CHICAGO - Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the Museum Campus working group, composed of 23 civic leaders, released "Where Worlds Connect" Thursday — a report detailing recommendations to enhance the Museum Campus.

"Our beloved Museum Campus is an essential part of this city and requires special attention and care," said Lightfoot. "The Museum Campus working group has provided us with a useful framework to guide that work, as well as to enhance the Campus overall. This report will also ensure our vision is aligned when it comes to creating a more enriching and rewarding Museum Campus experience for all who visit."

The Museum Campus includes institutions such as the Shedd Aquarium, the Field Museum, the Adler Planetarium, Solider Field and the Lakeside Center of McCormick Place.

The 12th Street Beach, Northerly Island Park and the Lakefront Trail are also included.

According to the report, the group's vision includes five key themes of recommendations.

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Those are outlined below and attributed to the working group:

"An Exciting Place to Be: Transformational place-making with enhanced programming and amenities will activate currently underutilized spaces and buildings across the Museum Campus to enrich the visitor experience. A renewed Soldier Field will deliver a world-class visitor experience in and around the stadium, and, along with Lakeside Center, anchor a vibrant entertainment corridor. With a greater diversity of experiences that expand the use of the Campus throughout the day and into the evening, visitors will want to linger on the Campus and return often.

An Urban Nature Retreat: The transformative power of landscaping with native species will amplify the natural beauty of the Museum Campus, creating a destination where visitors can immerse themselves in nature. Far more than simply filling the spaces between institutions, it will tie the Campus together, improve its function as a major flyway stop, and make it a model for sustainability. Paired with innovative approaches to environmental preservation, the Museum Campus will demonstrate Chicago’s role as a leader in urban climate resilience.

A Place Everyone Can Enjoy: New amenities, inclusive design, and coordinated programming will create a Museum Campus that attracts and welcomes all, from each Chicago neighborhood to our neighbors from across the world. To attract and be relevant to all, features and programming will appeal and be accessible to people with different interests, lifestyles, and needs. Access to the Campus will go beyond physical connections and extend to building a true sense of belonging and ownership.

A Connected Destination: World-class connectivity will take full advantage of all modes of mobility to connect Chicago’s neighborhoods, the Chicagoland region, and the world to the Campus. Whether for daily access or a special event, transportation to and from the Campus will be more convenient and enjoyable, while disruptions to major transit corridors and adjacent communities will be minimized. Visitors will have a distinct sense of arrival regardless of how they access the Campus and be greeted by new and exciting ways to move around the Campus.

Bringing It All Together: The vision for the Campus will be pursued in a coordinated way that maximizes the mutually reinforcing aspects of individual recommendations to compound the benefits of future investment. Coordinating these efforts will give the Campus a more cohesive identity, make it more sustainable, and ensure its longevity as an attractive, year-round destination for everyone. "

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Some of the key recommendations in the report include: