SCB, with partners Sam Schwartz Engineering and Site Design Group, recently completed a Master Plan for the Illinois Medical District (IMD), one of the largest urban healthcare and medical research campuses in the country. During the 16-month planning process, SCB built consensus on critical issues through collaboration with the core medical/educational institutions, local residents, IMD Commission staff, municipal leadership, and other stakeholders. The Plan identifies key strategies for improving this 560-acre district, including detailed design guidelines for infill development, establishment of new retail zones, coordinated streetscape design, new fitness oriented park space, district wide parking strategies and increased transit accessibility. Revitalizing and modernizing the District from a primarily automotive oriented business park environment into a vital urban district was one of the primary planning objectives and basis of creating this future vision for the IMD.  The Plan recommendations outline changes in policy and regulations to systematically transform the IMD into a walkable and urban district, while accommodating institutional growth, encouraging increased transit use and providing high quality amenities for District employees, patients, residents, and visitors.

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