A look at the planned Lakeview Low-Line pedestrian path

After months of planning, the Lakeview Chamber of Commerce and SSA 27 have finally offered North Side residents a look at the planned Low-Line project for the area. The plan seeks to activate a stretch of underutilized space below the elevated Brown Line tracks between Paulina Street and Ashland Avenue on the border of Roscoe Village and Lakeview.

The Lakeview Chamber tapped planning and design group Port Urbanism to help flesh out the concept and provide a conceptual look at the Low Line. Port, a firm that has worked on similar projects in North Center and downtown, imagines a colorful—if not whimsical—theme for the Lakeview Low Line.

Visual elements for the entry points include a colorful mural wall, a space for rotating art installations, sculptural outdoor seating, and a canopy below the tracks to diffuse overhead CTA lighting. For the Ashland Avenue plaza, the proposal includes panels for both rotating and long-term art installations, an interactive lighting feature, and a crushed stone path.

Planning for the project has been in the works since 2011 and eventually the Lakeview Low-Line will connect pedestrian plazas at Southport and Paulina via a continuous half-mile path. Here’s a more detailed look at what is planned for the stretch.

• Low-Line: A Vision to Connect and Beautify Lakeview [Lakeview Chamber of Commerce]