Have you ever wondered what Chicago will look like in 10 years? How about 20? Chicago has many projects in the works seeking to revamp the city we know and love.
Here are eight projects to watch in Chicago.
📍 Where: Jackson Park
📅 Expected Opening: 2026
This 19-acre project will feature a museum, gardens, an events facility, a Chicago Public Library branch, and more. Construction for this project began in 2021, but it has faced fierce criticism over the years as nearby residents worry about displacement.
📍 Where: South Chicago
📅 Expected Opening: 2027
PsiQuantum will open the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park at the former U.S. Steel South Works site, which closed in 1992. Tech giant IBM is joining the effort, along with the University of Illinois and other educational institutions. Neighbors worried about displacement and environmental impacts disrupted a meeting Tuesday about the campus.
📍 Where: South Chicago
📅 Expected Opening: 2030
CTA is extending the Red Line 5.5 miles in a $5 billion rebuild from the existing terminal at 95th/Dan Ryan to 130th Street. Four new stations will be added with the hope of bringing more transportation to Chicago’s South Side. Construction is set to start in 2026.
The extension is also spurring the 95th Street Corridor Plan, which looks to increase housing, jobs, and services near the extension.
This is the initial 2019 vision for the 78 development, not including the White Sox stadium. (City of Chicago)
📍 Where: Near South Side
📅 Expected Completion: 2030s
This project got its name because developers are calling it Chicago’s 78th neighborhood. The 62-acre site on the Chicago River will include new homes, outdoor recreational spaces, and more. It’s also been floated as the new home of the White Sox. However, construction has been slow going, especially after the University of Illinois pulled out of its plan to create its Discovery Partner Institute at the site.
📍 Where: Bronzeville
📅 Expected Completion: 2035
The former Michael Reese Hospital has been under development as a mixed-use site for years. While construction on the first phase broke ground in 2023, developers are now angling to become the new home for the Chicago Bears with a $3.2 billion arena, a mixed-use community, and a bridge over DuSable Lakeshore Drive.
📍 Where: The United Center
📅 Expected Completion: 2040
This $7 billion project will revamp the area outside of the United Center. Planned in phases, the privately-financed 1901 Project will include 9,463 residential units, 1,309 hotel keys, a music hall, and other commercial spaces. United Center owners hope to begin construction this summer.
📍 Where: Near North Side
📅 Expected Completion: TBD
Redevelopment of Cabrini-Green is set to begin this year. The plan is eventually to create 4,080 new housing units across four key sites: Rowhomes, Sedgwick, Division, and Larrabee. The last of the Cabrini-Green public housing high-rises came down in 2011, after decades of disinvestment and demolition.
📍 Where: Lincoln Park
📅 Expected Completion: TBD
This 50-acre development along the riverfront sits between Bucktown, Wicker Park, and Lincoln Park. The proposal includes residential spaces, parks, transportation, and more. But the project has languished for years due to financial challenges.
Significant changes are coming for Chicago, and we will be keeping tabs for you on how the city transforms over the next decade.
