John Hedrick Senior Advisor, Chaddick Institute

Robert Rotenberg Professor, Department of Anthropology

Municipal Design Review in Metropolitan Chicago…Community Look as Planning

The Chaddick Institute

Overview• Perspective

• General Design Review Approaches• Commission Based Study• Potential Improvements (MDRN)• Theory and Implications

• Observations (Q&A)

Background

Chaddick Institute Research: Prevalence of Design Review – IL Metro

Varied Approaches

“Appearance Commissions”(Design Review Boards)

Research FindingsTown/Village Decision

Type# of

Meetings # of CasesCases Invoking

Defense of Standards

Percent of Cases Invoking

Arlington Heights ARC 5 6 1 16%

Barrington ARC 4 4 2 50%

Glen Ellyn ARC 4 3 2 67%

Glenview 9 1 11%

Highland Park ARC 4 4 0

Lake Forest ARC/HPC 6 4 2 50%

Libertyville ARC 4 19 4 21%

Morton Grove ARC 3 5 1 20%

Schaumburg STF 2 3 1 33%

Totals 32 57 14

The Glen Ellyn ‘Look’

Design Review Best Practices

Municipal Design Review Network

Design Guidelines

Community Engagement

Example - Process

What Shapes Community Look?(findings for discussion)

“…the values we want to live by —rather than merely how we want things to look.”

New Directions?

“In essence, what works of design and architecture talk to us about is the kind of life that would most appropriately unfold within and around them.”

–Alaine de Botton, “The Architecture of Happiness”

CLOSING OBSERVATIONS…