MAke. Learn. Grow.

Rooted was built upon the inherent power of food culture to bring together people of diverse backgrounds in a comfortable and lively space. Chicago has long served as the heartland for food production, processing, and distribution due to its prime location as the gateway to the east and west. By creating a center of gravity for food and manufacturing, a unique urban experience materializes, tying together past, present, and future. The proposal not only reimagines the localization of the food supply chain, but creates an equitable and inclusive environment conducive to building human capital. The core of the development revolves around the coevolution of modern manufacturing, education, and a productive landscape. As the development takes root, it resourcefully meets the needs of Chicago today, and evolves to meet the needs of Chicago tomorrow. Rooted creates a uniquely gritty, transparent, and adaptable urban community where both residents and visitors alike can make, learn, and grow.

the competition

The 2017 ULI Hines Student Competition brief asked teams to reimagine an underutilized Planned Manufacturing District (PMD) on the North Branch of the Chicago River near Goose Island.  Recognizing manufacturing as a key driver of a cities economy we looked for ways to revitalize this entire neighborhood while retaining manufacturing at it's core.  Chicago has long served as the heartland for food production, processing, and distribution due to its prime location as the gateway to the east and west. By creating a center of gravity for food and manufacturing, a unique urban experience materializes, tying together past, present, and future. The core of the development revolves around the co-evolution of modern manufacturing, education, and a productive landscape. As the development takes root, it resourcefully meets the needs of Chicago today and evolves to meet the needs of Chicago tomorrow. Rooted creates a uniquely gritty, transparent, and adaptable urban community where both residents and visitors alike can make, learn, and grow.

20th century manufacturing

The Planned Manufacturing Districts (PMDs) made sense for the noisy, dirty and specialized world of 20th century manufacturing.  It helped to retain urban manufacturing by isolating pockets of the city explicitly for those uses and keeping them out of sight and mind.

21st century manufacturing

21st century manufacturing should be flexible and integrated designed from the beginning to be highly adaptable to new supply chains and markets.  We imagine the manufacturing at the core of ROOTED as providing small scale, local capabilities for producers and entrepreneurs who are catering to a modern marketplace.