Michele Smith

Aerial view looking west to Beaubien Woods and Flatfoot Lake and the Little Calumet River beyond the Bishop Ford Freeway on Chicago's Far South Side April 17, 2017.

Commentary: Why are Chicago parks so packed? COVID-19, climate change reveal city’s need for more green space

August 21, 2020 at 9:22 p.m.

The vital role of the outdoors in our city's health and future has never been more apparent than in the last several months of the coronavirus pandemic. In Chicago, over...

An 1890s view, looking north, of the area now known as Grant Park. It was a site of squatters' shacks, livery stables and mountains of garbage. Troops were camped there in 1894 during the Pullman strike. There was also a reunion of Civil War veterans in 1890 that included camps in the park.

A legacy for the future: Parks in the reimagined Clybourn Corridor

May 11, 2019 at 8:52 a.m.

More than 125 years ago, A. Montgomery Ward faced bitter opposition as he fought to protect Grant Park in Chicago. It is not hard to imagine the taunts, head shakes...

The entrance is shown to the City Council chamber at City Hall in Chicago.

As aldermen, let’s stand up for ethics

May 11, 2019 at 7:55 a.m.

No one should be above the law in Chicago, including the city's 50 aldermen. It's a simple concept that, until now, has been impossible to fully implement in our City...

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