Southbank Riverwalk, Chicago

Southbank Riverwalk is a quarter-mile public pathway along the south branch of the Chicago River, running between Harrison Street and the River City apartments. It comes with a 2.5-acre park and is the latest completed phase of a seven-acre development.

The programme includes a waterfront viewing platform, a kayak launch and provision for a future water taxi stop. The walkway is decked with some 9,000 square feet of Kebony modified wood, chosen for its performance against moisture, freeze-thaw cycles and the intensive use of an urban public space.

Trees, shrubs and grasses were selected for their resilience and low maintenance requirements, following the same logic of durability as the decking specification. The riverwalk prefigures a wider regeneration of this bank and is to be extended by a second stretch in front of the Riverline development immediately to the south. Design: Hoerr Schaudt Landscape Architects.