Program on the Global Environment: The Blue City

What if Chicago leveraged its proximity to and stewardship of the Great Lakes Waterway system to build a thriving water-based economy, rich with innovation, technology, and scientific research? This future is possible…but only if we can recognize and confront significant challenges that face our region. Rainfall and storms continue to increase, causing damage through localized flooding, contamination, higher lake levels and erosion, and increased stress on our aging infrastructure. Safe, affordable drinking water may soon be a luxury in many Chicagoland communities. The city’s lakefront, which “by right belongs to the people,” is not (nor has ever been) accessible to many city residents. Join Chicago Studies and guest lecturer Sabina Shaikh, Director of the Program on the Global Environment, for her presentation on The Blue City. This lecture will create a conversation about Chicago’s stewardship of one of the future’s most precious resources: water. This presentation is a part of our Chicago Futures series, a lecture series focused on imagining the future of Chicago through turbulent times.