Back in the 1880s, railroad magnate George Pullman became a pioneer urban planner of sorts when he decided to design and build a model town where his employees could live and build railway cars without having to face the crime and temptations of the city or a long commute. With the help of architect Solon Spencer Beman and landscape architect Nathan F. Barrett, he created an entire town from scratch on 300 acres near Lake Calumet, just south of what was then Chicago’s southern border.
Wilson is the leader of Positioning Pullman, a group of architects, engineers, landscape designers, city planners, economists, preservationists, and Pullman residents working together to ease the neighborhood’s transition into a national park without destroying it as a place to live. He’ll be discussing the project in a panel at the Chicago Humanities Festival on November 6 with Mark J. Bouman, Chicago region program director of the Field Museum’s Keller Science Action Center, and Lynn McClure, midwest director of the National Parks Conservation Association.
He acknowledges that Pullman’s location has been a definite advantage; had it been located on the north side or closer to downtown, it might not be here today. He also recognizes that it can be a model for civic policy and preservation for the rest of the country.
Sun 11/6, 11 AM VenueSix10 610 S. Michigan 312-494-9509tickets.chicagohumanities.org $12, $5 students and teachers
