Uploaded March 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Why does Chicago hold the undisputed title of the world's architecture capital? Legendary architect Carol Ross Barney, FAIA—recipient of the prestigious American Institute of Architects (AIA) Gold Medal—shares her perspective on what makes Chicago’s design legacy unique, and why excellent public space is a fundamental right for everyone. Read the highlights below:
Design is a Right, Not a Privilege
Carol Ross Barney has spent her career advocating for a simple but radical idea: exceptional architectural design should not be reserved just for private, luxury projects. Instead, high-quality design belongs in the public realm—improving the everyday lives of ordinary citizens through civic infrastructure, transit hubs, and municipal spaces.
Why Chicago is the Ultimate "City of Architecture"
What sets Chicago apart isn't just its collection of masterfully engineered skyscrapers, but its living history of structural innovation. Carol explores how the city serves as a global, open-air laboratory where architects have continually rewritten the rules of modern design, material limits, and urban planning.
Transforming the Chicago Riverwalk
As the lead architect behind the world-renowned Chicago Riverwalk, Carol shares how her firm reimagined a once-neglected, industrial riverfront into a vibrant, multi-layered "second shoreline." The project stands as a premier global example of biophilic urban reclamation, stitching nature and recreational spaces directly into the dense fabric of the downtown loop.
The Lasting Power of the Built Environment
Architecture has the unique capacity to shape human behavior and build deep neighborhood pride. This feature highlights how investing heavily in beautiful, accessible public structures creates culturally iconic places that foster social equity, community gathering, and environmental resilience for generations to come.
Subscribe to the Chicago Architecture Center for more exclusive interviews, virtual tours, and deep dives into the future of urban design.
Learn more about Carol Ross Barney: architecture.org/online-resources/architecture-encyclopedia/carol-ross-barney
Learn more about the Chicago Riverwalk: architecture.org/online-resources/buildings-of-chicago/chicago-riverwalk
Why does Chicago hold the undisputed title of the world's architecture capital? Legendary architect Carol Ross Barney, FAIA—recipient of the prestigious American Institute of Architects (AIA) Gold Medal—shares her perspective on what makes Chicago’s design legacy unique, and why excellent public space is a fundamental right for everyone. Read the highlights below:
Design is a Right, Not a Privilege
Carol Ross Barney has spent her career advocating for a simple but radical idea: exceptional architectural design should not be reserved just for private, luxury projects. Instead, high-quality design belongs in the public realm—improving the everyday lives of ordinary citizens through civic infrastructure, transit hubs, and municipal spaces.
Why Chicago is the Ultimate "City of Architecture"
What sets Chicago apart isn't just its collection of masterfully engineered skyscrapers, but its living history of structural innovation. Carol explores how the city serves as a global, open-air laboratory where architects have continually rewritten the rules of modern design, material limits, and urban planning.
Transforming the Chicago Riverwalk
As the lead architect behind the world-renowned Chicago Riverwalk, Carol shares how her firm reimagined a once-neglected, industrial riverfront into a vibrant, multi-layered "second shoreline." The project stands as a premier global example of biophilic urban reclamation, stitching nature and recreational spaces directly into the dense fabric of the downtown loop.
The Lasting Power of the Built Environment
Architecture has the unique capacity to shape human behavior and build deep neighborhood pride. This feature highlights how investing heavily in beautiful, accessible public structures creates culturally iconic places that foster social equity, community gathering, and environmental resilience for generations to come.
Subscribe to the Chicago Architecture Center for more exclusive interviews, virtual tours, and deep dives into the future of urban design.
Learn more about Carol Ross Barney: architecture.org/online-resources/architecture-encyclopedia/carol-ross-barney
Learn more about the Chicago Riverwalk: architecture.org/online-resources/buildings-of-chicago/chicago-riverwalk
