Near West


Sam Lima

Located 2 miles west of the Loop, Chicago’s near west side is home to the United Center, Rush University Medical Center, and Malcolm X College. Their late-20th-century growth was accompanied by the demolition of blocks once filled with a wide range of building types and uses, their sites now almost entirely paved for surface parking. Sam Lima’s neighborhood plan would reintroduce to the near west side a diverse mix of buildings on a re-established Chicago block system. The intersection of Ashland, Ogden, and Madison is re-imagined as the neighborhood’s cultural and commercial center; Malcolm X College is reconceived as a campus of urban buildings organized around a public square; the United Center becomes accessible by two different CTA rail lines; and the Eisenhower Expressway is re-envisioned as a multi-modal urban boulevard.
Existing Conditions
Existing Conditions

Existing Figure-Ground
Existing Figure-Ground

Proposed Master Plan
Proposed Master Plan

Proposed Regulating Plan
Proposed Regulating Plan

Proposed Block Structure
Proposed Block Structure

Aerial view looking northwest
Aerial view looking northwest

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