Society of Architectural Historians: Study Tour of Chicago

It's worth joining the Society of Architectural Historians in order to be eligible to go on what looks to be a fabulous three-day tour of Chicago:

The Legacy of Daniel Burnham: Architect and City Planner
August 7-9, 2009 ($895)

This year is the 100th anniversary of the Plan of Chicago. Check out the 7 page brochure describing the program. One of the presenters is cartographer Dennis McClendon (he is active on the pro-urb e-list). From the brochure:

McClendon’s splendid booklet The Plan of Chicago: A Regional Legacy (Chicago: Burnham Plan Centennial Committee, 2008), crafted specifically for the year-long, city-wide Burnham centennial celebration. The booklet is also downloadable as a pdf.

What an incredible resource. (Not to mention all the cites--books on Burnham and the Plan.)

(A person at one of the federal review bodies thought that the McMillan Commission Plan for Washington should have been reprinted in a similar fashion on its anniversary, but the higher ups didn't agree. Burnham was on the McMillan Commission and the project likely prepped him for the Chicago plan seven years later).

1922 Chicago Tribune editorial cartoon about the positive economic impact of public improvements.