Influence of physical landscape on historic chicago development (Detroit: beaches, automobile)

[Tex?Il?]

We often think that because Chicago is so flat and there are no geographic barriers to its urban evolution, but one of the major reasons why the Loop developed as densely as it did, is because of the position of the Chicago river. Although people attribute the dense nature to the Chicago El loop, that may have been born partially of necessity.

The Chicago River is wide enough, and it took long enough for enough bridges to built for downtown to "jump" the river. Hence it concentrated development enough on the "peninsula" formed by the bend of the Chicago river.

After all, all skyscapers built between the late 1880s and 1920s were in the loop. River North/Michigan Ave., were all low river buildings, until the Michigan Ave. bridge was built in 1920, which gives today the Loop and the near north side a very different character.

Also, we tend to attribute the beaches and lakefront to long-term thoughtful planning on behalf early Chicago leaders, but really it was more because

A. the shore is/was simply way to shallow and gradual to be practical for shipping and industry in most places (and the had to do something with the ash from the fire)

B. We had the canals/waterways to locate industry.

These things contrast with for example with St. Louis and Detroit, which in their early days, did not have an inland river around their early downtown, and instead grew up along a river that was deeper and very suitable for industry and shipping.

[Avengerfire]

I think you pretty much had thread on this topic before.

https://www.city-data.com/forum/chica...geography.html

[chirack]

Actually the Chicago River in it's hay day was a busy commercial river. That is why this town has so many draw bridges over the river.

The city itself started around the downtown area and grew outward. The density downtown is a leftover of the 19th century when density was encouraged(you were MUCH more limited in how far you could walk). Public transit and esp. the EL made it possible for the city to grow. The loop was the original business center and still is. In addition although there was industry downtown over time industry was encouraged to go elsewhere(namely the south side).

Detroit is an older city but it really reshaped itself for the automobile. St. Louis I don't know enough about.