Landscape Information
Extending along the eastern shore of the North Branch Canal of the Chicago River, this linear park opened in 2022 and includes a 700-foot-long floating boardwalk that was proposed in the Wild Mile Framework Vision (2019) by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) and Omni Workshop (now Greenprint Partners) in collaboration with the non-profit organization Urban Rivers and City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development. Inviting people to the river鈥檚 edge and stewarding wildlife habitat, the Wild Mile also offers dramatic skyline views. It is the first of several projects intended to transform a mile-long, seventeen-acre industrialized section of the canal into a 鈥渇loating eco-park.鈥
Inspired by chinampas, the Mesoamerican practice of growing crops in shallow water, the park is built on the water. Flanked to the east by a sheet pile retaining wall, the Wild Mile is composed of a system of connected modular floating units, designed by Urban Rivers. Accessed from West Eastman Street, the floating park is navigated by sustainable pine boardwalks that rise and fall with fluctuating water levels. The continuous zig-zag walkway, edged by a low wooden lip, is framed by a green apron of more than 10,000 plants, including more than 70 native wetland species (e.g., sedges, swamp milkweed, and hibiscus) established on the modules. The boardwalk, accessible by a ramp or by kayak, includes generous, rectangular sections that serve as outdoor classrooms equipped with movable furniture.
The project received an American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Honor Award in Urban Design in 2024.
