Museum Campus, the space along the Chicago lakefront devoted to Soldier Field, Northerly Island, Adler Planetarium and other museums, may not be just for cyclists, pedestrians and drivers any more.
Streetcars, gondolas and trolleys are just some of the ideas that have been floated to improve transit options at Museum Campus. The Metropolitan Planning Council, a group of community leaders devoted to city development, hosted an open house Tuesday in the Loop to solicit feedback on how to make Museum Campus more accessible.
The call for comments comes months after "Stars Wars" filmmaker George Lucas picked Chicago as the site for his controversial Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. The proposed building site is parking space near Soldier Field.
At Tuesday's open house participants checked out display boards of different proposals for modes of transportation and suggested improvements for how to ease travel around Museum Campus including adding a visitor center, creating a wayfinding app and coordinating signs directing visitors to various sites.
"We can imagine the variety of possibilities," said Yonah Freemark, Metropolitan Planning Council project manager. "We're hoping to get as much outreach as possible."
Alex Burchard, 23, lives in Streeterville but said he rides his bike through Museum Campus every day to get to classes at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Bronzeville.
Burchard said he is intrigued about the idea of streetcars operating through that area. He's found it's not easy to figure out which buses pick up and drop off in Museum Campus and where these points are, he said, and he suggested more signs would help ease confusing traffic flow.
"I think I would be more likely to take out-of-town friends who are in town to Museum Campus if it was easier to get to," Burchard said.
Keith Smith, of Streeterville, also was interested in the potential addition of streetcars. Smith, 44, said he goes to Museum Campus because he has a shared sailboat on Burnham Harbor.
He said he attended the open house because he's curious how transit decisions are made.
Smith doesn't have a car and said he would like more pedestrian and bicycle friendly options in the area.
"I think [the city is] putting infrastructure in place that's favoring cars," Smith said.
Chicagoans can share their ideas for Museum Campus at metroplanning.org/museumcampus.
The public can weigh in at a Chicago Park District meeting at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 21 at the Spertus Institute, 610 S. Michigan Ave.; a Greater South Loop Association open house 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 27 at Vice District Brewing, 1454 S. Michigan Ave.; and the Near South Planning Board meeting at noon Oct. 30 at the Hilton Chicago, 720 S. Michigan Ave.
Streetcars, gondolas and trolleys are just some of the ideas that have been floated to improve transit options at Museum Campus. The Metropolitan Planning Council, a group of community leaders devoted to city development, hosted an open house Tuesday in the Loop to solicit feedback on how to make Museum Campus more accessible.
The call for comments comes months after "Stars Wars" filmmaker George Lucas picked Chicago as the site for his controversial Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. The proposed building site is parking space near Soldier Field.
At Tuesday's open house participants checked out display boards of different proposals for modes of transportation and suggested improvements for how to ease travel around Museum Campus including adding a visitor center, creating a wayfinding app and coordinating signs directing visitors to various sites.
"We can imagine the variety of possibilities," said Yonah Freemark, Metropolitan Planning Council project manager. "We're hoping to get as much outreach as possible."
Alex Burchard, 23, lives in Streeterville but said he rides his bike through Museum Campus every day to get to classes at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Bronzeville.
Burchard said he is intrigued about the idea of streetcars operating through that area. He's found it's not easy to figure out which buses pick up and drop off in Museum Campus and where these points are, he said, and he suggested more signs would help ease confusing traffic flow.
"I think I would be more likely to take out-of-town friends who are in town to Museum Campus if it was easier to get to," Burchard said.
Keith Smith, of Streeterville, also was interested in the potential addition of streetcars. Smith, 44, said he goes to Museum Campus because he has a shared sailboat on Burnham Harbor.
He said he attended the open house because he's curious how transit decisions are made.
Smith doesn't have a car and said he would like more pedestrian and bicycle friendly options in the area.
"I think [the city is] putting infrastructure in place that's favoring cars," Smith said.
Chicagoans can share their ideas for Museum Campus at metroplanning.org/museumcampus.
The public can weigh in at a Chicago Park District meeting at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 21 at the Spertus Institute, 610 S. Michigan Ave.; a Greater South Loop Association open house 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 27 at Vice District Brewing, 1454 S. Michigan Ave.; and the Near South Planning Board meeting at noon Oct. 30 at the Hilton Chicago, 720 S. Michigan Ave.