Chapter 4 - Megalopolis

Although not in an officially defined Megalopolis, Chicago and the surrounding areas have been expanding into one themselves. This area is made up from Chicago and the Great Lakes to Pittsburgh and the Ohio River (Referred to by Jean Gottmannas asChiPitts).  Chicago is the largest city in the Midwest region and has access to the second largest labor pool in the U.S. with 4.25 million people to pull from.  The city generates the third largest metropolitan product in the U.S. and has become a world finacial center.  The city is home to 12 of the Fortune Global 500 Companies.

Interms of the componets of urban landscapes for a megalopolis, chicago has them all.  It has an interaction with other regions throught its creation of canals to the Mississippi River Valley and the Great Lakes Region. It has functional complexity of having residential, industrial and commercial uses seperatly developed along its modes of transportation.  Public services and accessibility have been creatively developed with in the city limits to provide a wide range of public spaces, transportation, health facilities and many other neccessary needs meet.  The CTA  (Chicago Transit Authority) is one of the best run public transportation services I have ever seen and was always running on time with efficiency.  The city has also been a leader in change. Redeveloping and changing the city to provide for the future.

CTA map of the city subway stations