Sustainable Streetscape - Greenest Street in America – Blue Island Avenue and Cermak Road, Chicago

This presentation will highlight the Chicago Department of Transportation's (CDOT) recently completed “greenest street in America,” the first phase of a two-mile stretch of Blue Island Avenue and Cermak Road in the Pilsen neighborhood that is an unprecedented demonstration of how cutting-edge sustainable design and “complete streets” principles can be implemented in the public right of way. The project demonstrates a full range of sustainable design techniques that improve the urban ecosystem, promote economic development, increase the safety and usability of streets for all users, and build healthy communities. It provides both mitigation and adaptation strategies by reducing its carbon footprint and integrating technologies that allow the infrastructure to address and adapt to climate change.The Cermak/Blue Island Sustainable Streetscape has received quantifiable results by setting aggressive sustainability goals in eight performance areas such as stormwater management, material reuse, energy reduction, and placemaking. The $14 million streetscape project is the first in the country to balance and incorporate such a wide spectrum of sustainable performance into a single urban roadway. This not only allows the infrastructure to perform better over time, it saves money over the life of the project. This is achieved in part through commissioning, modeling, and monitoring done in partnership with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) to drive future watershed planning in the combined sewer area.