Dave
Dave, 37, moved to Chicago in 2001 and currently lives in the West Town neighborhood. He works on green and sustainable architecture projects at Hampton Avery Architects, and is a LEED Accredited Professional.
What neighborhood do you live in?
West Town/Noble Square, conveniently located a mile west of Michigan Ave., not far from the Loop, with really interesting industrial areas just a few blocks south. I’m still getting to know it. Eckhart Park is nice, anchored by the fieldhouse which has a 1960’s pool addition with a distinctive arched roof.
What is your favorite thing about Chicago?
Openness. This manifests itself physically, as in the generosity of the sidewalks downtown or in open spaces, and as a general attitude. Take for example the music scene: musicians from different genres – jazz, rock, classical, etc. – play with each other often, and people are usually willing to give anything a listen.
What is your favorite green innovation, either existing or underway, in Chicago?
Our system of boulevards was an innovation in its time (the mid- to late-19th century), and served to link lakeside parks such as Lincoln and Jackson with inner parks such as Humboldt, Garfield, Douglas, Gage, and Washington, creating an extensive network of green spaces that rivaled that of European cities.
What are some of your favorite green things to see and do in Chicago?
I helped found and volunteer with a group called Urban Habitat Chicago. Since 2005, we’ve taken some unused (or underused) spaces in the city such as dead, dry rooftops or boring backyards, and transformed them into highly productive and beautiful gardens swarming with beneficial species like butterflies, bees, and birds. We’re now teaching others how to do projects like these.
What is your favorite restaurant?
Café Central, or maybe Pick Me Up.
Favorite pizza place?
Nancy’s Pizza in Lakeview. Get the stuffed spinach.
Favorite seasonal activity?
NIghtime biking in the summer.
What’s a not-to-be missed green attraction in Chicago?
Lake Michigan. A vestige of the time of the glaciers (when winters were REALLY bad around here), this beautiful body of water, together with the other North American Great Lakes, forms one quarter of the world’s fresh water. Some time ago, we reversed the flow of the Chicago River to direct the byproducts of meatpacking, tanning, and other industry away from the lake. Today, sewer and stormwater systems are combined in Chicago, and when overtaxed, are sometimes discharged into the lake. Limiting impervious surfaces and diverting rainwater into barrels or raingardens are some ways the average person can help, but we’re still figuring out better ways to make industry pull their weight. Unlike gasoline, water is an infinitely renewable resource… but only if we use it wisely and treat it with respect.
What is your favorite hidden spot or Chicago treasure?
The Art Institute South Garden, designed in 1961 by master landscape architect Dan Kiley. Grab lunch, walk past the lions on the front steps, go through the raised planters, down a few steps into the sunken garden area, and find a seat along your very own individual stone planter. You’ll slowly notice that the crunching of pea gravel underfoot and the burbling of the central fountain have served to block out the noise of 7 lanes of traffic along a very busy Michigan Avenue, while the shade of a spreading canopy of hawthorn trees forms a low-key Modernist urban oasis that’s at least five to ten degrees cooler than a hundred yards away.
