The Chicago river is going through a bit of a transformation.
The expanded Chicago Riverwalk is now in its final phase of construction, providing access to restaurants, entertainment and a lovely public walking area right along the Chicago River.
But a new project wants to further revitalize the iconic Chicago waterway by installing 600 feet of floating gardens in the river.
Urban Rivers, a Chicago non-profit that aims to rehabilitate urban rivers across the US, wants to install the floating gardens in the Chicago River by spring 2017. The goal is to install the gardens throughout a one-mile stretch of the river starting at Goose Island, and the group launched a Kickstarter to turn the idea into a reality. Urban Rivers hopes to raise $10,000, and has so far collected over $3,000 with 27 days left in the campaign.
The idea is to turn the stretch of the river into an urban wildlife sanctuary that will attract fish, plants, birds, turtles and more, the group says. Urban Rivers is working with a company called Biomatrix Water to design the hardware that can withstand harsh Chicago winters, and the group plans to use Illinois wetland and prairie plant species in the gardens.
Urban Rivers first launched 50 square feet of floating gardens in the Chicago River as a pilot study in 2013. Now, the group is working with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District on a four-year project to expand the gardens and monitor fish populations. Urban Rivers said it plans to add a foot of habitat for every $50 it receives, and anything exceeding $10,000 will go toward further expanding the gardens.
Urban Rivers has also received funding from Patagonia, Whole Foods, Vanguard and Freshwater Future.
The longterm goal, the group says, is to bring floating gardens to more cities.
"Our plan is to rehabilitate urban rivers in cities across the globe," the Urban Rivers' Kickstarter reads. "By recovering habitat space in city waterways, we can provide a home for fish and other animals, while creating a nature destination for people to enjoy."
