FAQs

For more FAQs about Urban Rivers’ work, visit urbanriv.org/faqs.

Why isn’t it a mile long?

Our funding comes in rounds, each of which is sufficient to complete a portion of the eventual mile-long park. Using this modular approach makes the entire project feasible over the course of many years, and also allows us to incorporate lessons learned from older phases into each successive installation. While our timeline for completing the park is entirely dependent on the availability of funding, the tentative estimate is approximately a decade.

When do you plan to expand?

Whenever we receive sufficient funding! This will likely come from Open Space Impact Fees, similar to the initial two phases, but the timeline is uncertain. In 2025, we plan to add an additional entryway on Blackhawk street, but do not expect to receive funding for an extension of the floating park itself. When we do add additional phases, we’ll be heading northwards.

Are there similar projects in other locations?

There are many floating garden projects in progress around the world! To the best of our staff’s knowledge, the Wild Mile is the only floating “eco park” - i.e. the only project that features a floating boardwalk integrated with the gardens. Urban Rivers currently has three other locations around Chicago, all of which feature floating wetland archipelagos rather than a boardwalk structure. These include projects at Bubbly Creek and River Park. The Chinampas, a complex of partially-floating gardens dating back to the Aztec empire, were an inspiration for the Wild Mile. The concept is truly universal! 

Can you eat the plants that grow on the Wild Mile?

Way back in 2014 when Urban Rivers was first founded, our co-founders hoped for the floating gardens to be an agricultural project! Though initially successful, they pivoted towards habitat restoration after getting their first fruit and vegetable harvest lead-tested. The Chicago river has improved vastly in recent years, but many heavy metals are still present, and these pollutants are sequestered by plants that are grown using the water as a primary source of nutrition. Therefore, we discourage the consumption of plants that grow on the Wild Mile. That being said, many of these wetland species are edible, and have been used culinarily and/or medicinally by Indigenous peoples of central and eastern North America for quite some time. Examples include Wapato (Sagittaria latifolia), whose tuberous roots are cooked similar to most other root vegetables, and Blue Vervain (Verbena hastata), which is used to treat both acute and chronic anxiety.

Can I host an event at the Wild Mile?

The Wild Mile is currently always open to the public. If you’d like to host a personal gathering, such as a birthday party or picnic, go for it! No need to let us know, unless you’d like to request a tour of the space. If you’d like to host a broader public gathering, such as a yoga class or musical event, please get in touch with us by emailing team@urbanriv.org so that we can make sure everything runs safely and smoothly! Don’t worry, we’re open to all sorts of events, and we’ll even help you promote the event! We love seeing creative uses of the space, so don’t hesitate to reach out.