Southworks Landscape Architecture and Stormwater StrategiesChicago, IL
The Southworks master plan sets forth a 25-year vision for 573 acres of former industrial land along Lake Michigan on Chicago’s Far South Side. Previously utilized as a U.S. Steel manufacturing plant that once employed over 20,000 people, the site will be transformed into a high-density, mixed-use South Side Chicago community of over 30,000 residents.
Sasaki’s master and landscape plan, in collaboration with SOM, calls for a sustainable lakefront community, with a mix of uses, a street network that extends the neighborhood grid, proximity to transit, generous public spaces, and a new 100-acre lakefront park. As a pilot project for the new LEED-ND (Neighborhood Development) program Southworks is slated to meet silver certification or higher.
Over 90% of the site’s watershed is designed to directly infiltrate rainwater into the soil, bypassing Chicago’s combined sewer system and returning it directly to the lake. A configuration of "Natural Resource Areas" will serve as large scale stormwater recharge and infiltration areas. An “Ore Wall Park”, built along a remnant 2,000 foot long ore wall, recognizes the site’s industrial past while providing a dynamic recreational amenity.
The remains of the steel making process, including building foundations and slag material, present unique challenges. The master plan and landscape respond to these challenges by recognizing the historic traces of the site and investigating implementation strategies to create a new and sustainable Southworks landscape.
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