Chicago is a city of neighborhoods. UNO’s new development in Gage Park will forever alter the paradigm of what a Civic Center is. The core proposition put forth in this plan is one that departs from the traditional relationship between residential, commercial and civic uses that have defined American City Planning, in favor of an integrated land use approach that takes into consideration the evolutionary changes of our society over the past thirty years.

This project replaces the notion of a traditional school with an educational campus that becomes the vital organ of a community, with commercial and institutional uses providing ancillary support to the school. In addition to traditional classroom activities, the school sets the stage for parallel community activities that are found outside of the educational building, such as community meetings and conventions.