Earlier this week, Chicago Mag put the proposed Chicago Lakeside Development back on peoples' radars after publishing a piece that ties into their recently released edition of the 100 Most Powerful Chicagoans series. In it, they suggest that this development could become Chicago's next "power ecosystem", but the lofty $4 billion redevelopment of the former 600 acre US Steel site could literally take decades to complete. When the idea for the development was first proposed a few years ago, the plan received widespread attention and some powerful proponents, including former Mayor Richard M. Daley.
The Lakeside team headed up by developer Daniel McCaffery produced a couple of promotional videos to get people excited about the idea. The first video (above), is your run of the mill, standard promo vid with cheesy narration and music, but it gets the idea across. In this video, the viewer is asked to perform a lot of "imagining" - seriously, this guy says the word "imagine" at least a hundred times in four minutes. Again, it presents a pretty abstract development plan in a package that a general audience can digest.
The team's second video has much higher quality video production, and is more badass with CSI-style effects and dramatic music. At half the length, this video is a call for partners and to get the general public pumped for the Lakeside Development (wink, wink investors). In it, McCaffery discusses the "utopian" future the humongous development would present to residents. Shopping centers, boat docks, and parks with dudes riding their bikes with no hands while on their cell phones would all coexist in one ecosystem.
So, is this mega-hyped project a pipe dream or could it become the real deal?
· The Lakeside Development Could Create Chicago's Next Power Ecosystem [Chicago Magazine]
· South Works Developer Puts Out Call For Other Developers [Curbed Chicago]
· Video Interlude: Chicago Lakeside Promo Video [Curbed Chicago]
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