'Loop as Lab': How is Chicago's CBD rebound becoming a model for other American metros?

This month, the Chicago Architecture Center (CAC) is opening its new Loop as Lab: Reshaping Downtowns exhibition aimed at demonstrating how the city’s famed business district can become a model for other cities in their lingering rebound from the economic ill effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As its title suggests, the exhibition presents the Loop as a kind of petri dish for recovery, broken down into four sections (Reside, Renew, Rewild, and Reconnect), each with its own interactive experiences and hands-on activities.

Among the topics discussed are the reuse of structures (e.g. the Thompson Center) and office-to-residential conversions that are taking shape there and in other downtowns across the country. The CAC's CEO and President, Eleanor Gorski, said: “Chicago has always been at the forefront of architectural innovation, and 'Loop as Lab' exemplifies our city's ongoing commitment to pioneering new approaches in urban design."

Loop as Lab opens to the public on Saturday, April 27th, and will be accompanied by special walking tours that begin on May 15th.