This month’s issue of Chicago Magazine highlights six big ideas
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Great big ideas have been foisted on Chicago every so often. Some worked well (reversing the Chicago River, Daniel Burnham’s city planning) and some not so well (most of what the Chicago Housing Authority did in the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s; Groupon). Lately, tackling big ideas in new and unexpected ways has become a profession in the city. If your project catches Mayor Emanuel’s eye he might hit you up with his $200 million Innovation Loan Fund. Then there’s 1871, the start-up incubator that hopes to save venture capitalists a few cab rides by housing Chicago’s tech innovators in the Merchandise Mart. Here’s how the begin to describe themselves:
Their innovations — born of passion and practical ingenuity — shaped not just Chicago, but the modern world.
