The green infrastructure plan that is leading Chicago on the path to sustainability

Chicago is making big plans to make even bigger changes. Supported by both the Department of Transportation and a none profit organization called the Chicago Infrastructure Trust, the City Council have come up with an innovative green infrastructure plan for Chicago’senergy consumption. Chicago is America’s third largest city, and over the next four years 85% of the its street lighting will be replaced with more energy efficient lamps.

The Chicago green infrastructure plan as it is known, involves a six billion dollar investment in infrastructure development programs that will not only help the planet, but has reportedly created around 60 thousand new jobs, and promises to create another 40 thousand more. These programmes include projects ranging from transport, water, energy and logistics. As one of the countries leading business lights, Chicago is yet again leading the way with it’s modern and long-sighted plans of improvement.

In order to achieve this infrastructure plan, the mayor of Chicago joined up with the city council and set up the above mentioned Infrastructure Trust. This agency was given the task of finding a way of financing these new projects and the latest consisted of launching requests for specific qualifications for companies interested in designing, creating and paying for a high-speed rail link connecting Chicago to O’Hare Airport,named “The O’Hare Express”. The companies were then also expected to manage and maintain this link which has now cut transport time to the US’ 3^rd busiest airport by over 50%.

As well as public transport Chicago is also updating and improving its water infrastructure. They are currently in the process of renewing the city’s entire water treatment system which involes replacing over 3,000 kms of waterpipes and sewer lines with the aim of having an entirely new network by 2054.

These are just a small number of examples of this colossal task that Chicago has seemingly set itself, and commited to. It is becoming a true 21^st century city according the Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel, who has personally overseen in incredibly 5 billion dollars worth of investments in the Chicago Transit Authority, 2 and a half billion in schools, almost 5 billion on Chicagos water infrastructure and another 10 billion at the city’s two large airports.

The president himself has placed two projects in Chicago on his infrastructure priority list- the modernization of the North Side public transport lines which is expected to create a huge number of jobs and of course improve the ciy’s transportation networks. And the second project involves renovating Union Station- which is 92 years old- in order to improve the transportation hub and create more jobs for residents.