Burnham’s Blog

Chicago and other cities across the globe are undertaking resilience planning to respond to climate change and other stresses on our communities. In 2016, Chicago’s first Chief Resilience Officer (CRO), Aaron Koch, was appointed. The CRO’s office is currently working on Chicago’s Resilience Strategy, projected to be released in the fall of 2017. However, important resilience planning affecting Chicago is also being conducted by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) as part of their comprehensive plan. It is important to be aware of CMAP’s planning process and resilience recommendations because they will shape future decisions about building design, land use, and infrastructure.

The federal Better Buildings Initiative helps foster greater energy efficiency by using public and private sector partnerships to develop supportive programs and encourage innovation. At this time of concern over the elimination of key programs and standards that promote energy efficiency, it is important to recognize how much has been accomplished by existing federal programs such as the Better Buildings Initiative.

There is an increasing focus in recent years on the impact of buildings on health and well-being. Several important new studies have shown the significance of designing and constructing healthier buildings. A growing body of evidence demonstrates that green buildings can be good for health in addition to improving sustainability. Building standards have also emerged, such as the Well Building Standard and Fitwel, that specifically address the well-being of a building’s occupants.

The Chicago Department of Planning and Development (DPD) recently revised the Chicago Sustainable Development Policy (Policy). The Policy has been a key component of the City’s plans to encourage sustainable and resilient design.The new Chicago Sustainable Development Policy is significantly changed from its earlier version and will continue to push the City’s leadership in sustainability.

On April 20, 2017, U.S. Green Building Council-Illinois and American Institute of Architects-Chicago jointly sponsored Chicago Thrives! Resilience Symposium. As stated in the program’s marketing materials, “resilient design is emerging as the design challenge of our age.” The all-day program included a variety of presenters on different resiliency planning topics. Burnham attended the event and we will share some program highlights.