Visions for 2050
A signature initiative of World Business Chicago focused on surfacing, sharing, and advancing bold ideas for Chicago’s future.
Open CommentANNOUNCING THE HORIZON LINES FINALISTS
The final submissions have been chosen. Click the links to learn more about the Horizon Lines Top Visions.
Nearly 200 ideas came in from across Chicago and beyond. Now, six Top Visions have been selected for Horizon Lines: Visions for Chicago 2050 — bold, imaginative, and deeply Chicago ideas that ask what our city can become by mid-century.
Explore each finalist below, then visit the public exhibit at the Chicago Cultural Center Welcome Center, on view through September. Public comment is open through the end of July.
Agriflats Hiding in Plain Sight: The Third Frontage Initiative Repairing the Scars of the Interstate Highway Era Green City Rising RE-LOOP: THE LIVING MILE WONDERWAYS!
Notable Visions and Neighborhood Visions
In addition to the six Top Visions, the jury recognized the submissions that stood out for their creativity, purpose, and connection to the community. Together, these projects reflect ideas rooted in Chicago’s 77 neighborhoods and speak to a shared future that is inclusive, equitable, and shaped by people across the city.
Horizon Lines: Notable Visions Horizon Lines: Best Neighborhood VisionsRead the Chicago 2050 Essays
How do you picture Chicago in 2050?
Voices from around the city explored what Chicago could and should look like in 2050 in a series of essays. These pieces were published each Sunday through May 10 in the Chicago Tribune.
This collection represents a collaboration between Tribune Opinion and World Business Chicago, whose Horizon Lines: Visions for Chicago 2050 initiative also includes a design competition inviting the public to share the bold ideas and civic investments Chicago could make in the next 25 years.
Mary Schmich writes her dreams for the future of her ‘complete city’
Tonika Lewis Johnson imagines a city skyline that bridges racial dividing lines
Tracy Baim writes about the city’s next transformational ‘Great Migration’
Laura Washington wants to bring glittering downtown institutions to the city’s neighborhoods
Daniel Holz writes about pursuing progress and avoiding doomsday
IDOT’s secretary Gia Biagi writes about the future of transportation in ‘The City that Works’
Ashish Sharma on how the city will learn to live with weather
Poet Leslé Honoré envisions an ‘Emerald City’ in our future
David Awschalom on the future of quantum technologies
Alaina Harkness on a thriving city based on water
Glenn Davis writes on the abundant future of Chicago theater
Applications window has closed
Applications closed on April 15th.
Questions? View our recently held webinar and read the Horizon Lines FAQ.