Great Lakes: The Environment and the Economy

The U.S.-Canadian Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River basin holds 20 percent of earth's surface fresh water and sustains a megalopolis of 50 million people. For more than four years, the City Design Practice of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) has pioneered a holistic, 100-year vision for the basin's environmental restoration and economic renewal. The Great Lakes Century pioneers an ecosystem-scale planning perspective and suggests strategies for managing not just regional growth but global population growth and urbanization. SOM calls for a vision that balances humanity and nature for the good of both. SOM partner Philip Enquist leads the initiative that researched the vast region's vulnerabilities and assets, defined visionary turnaround strategies and created powerful presentations to government, academic, environmental and public audiences. It created what was missing: a unifying and overarching bi-national perspective. Its innovative approach has been recognized by America's highest urban design and landscape architecture awards.