Who Is the City For?

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Two decades ago, Blair Kamin's series "Reinventing the Lakefront" highlighted the stark disparities between the shoreline parks of Chicago's affluent North Side and those of its marginalized South Side. This Pulitzer Prize-winning series prompted civic investments in the south lakefront and showcased Kamin's dedication to activist criticism, a commitment that persisted until his final column in January 2021. This collection features 55 of Kamin's columns from the last decade, focusing on equity issues in the built environment and American society. Key questions explored include who benefits from urban development, the civic responsibility of new buildings, and the criteria for preserving historic structures. The influence of polarizing political figures, including US presidents and Chicago mayors, is also examined within the context of the city's public realm. The columns discuss significant structures such as the Trump Tower, Obama Presidential Center, Riverwalk, and The 606, alongside everyday buildings like bridges and CTA stations. Illustrated with photographs by Lee Bey, former architecture critic of the Chicago Sun-Times, the epilogue features Kamin's farewell column, marking the conclusion of an era in Chicago's architectural narrative.