Anchoring the Future: Building the World's First Floating Eco-Park

"Here and there the grease and filth have caked solid, and the creek looks like a bed of lava; chickens walk about on it...and many times an unwary stranger has started to stroll across, and vanished temporarily." Upton Sinclair offers this revolting - yet accurate - description of the Chicago River in his book The Jungle, originally published in 1906. In the early 1900s, Chicago was a major industrial hub. The Chicago River was not only heavily used for transportation but also for the disposal of waste produced by the meatpacking industry, steel production, rail manufacturing and more. The South Fork of the river was the primary sewer for the Union Stock Yards. The meatpacking industry caused so much pollution, the river became known as Bubbly Creek. Chicago's older buildings were designed to be shut off from the river - no windows, certainly no homes or parks. A river view from an office or hotel was not something to brag about. It wasn't until the 1970s and the passage of the federal Clean Water Act that things began to change. The city now requires public access to the river in all parts and newer architectural designs ensure this is possible. Rather than sewage and industrial waste, the river now carries boat- loads of tourists and kayakers.