ABSTRACT
The Plan of Chicago was basically a plan for public improvements, chiefly within the city, but for highways and parks, it was regional in scope. It was appropriate that Daniel H. Burnham should prepare the Plan of Chicago, commonly called "the Burnham Plan." As one of the nation's foremost architects and a Chicagoan, he had taken a leading role in the World's Columbian Exposition, serving as Director of Works. Burnham's Plan of Chicago touched on many urban problems. As with all new progressive ideas, the Plan of Chicago was subject to widespread criticism by those who said that it was impractical and idealistic. The idea of the "city beautiful," a term used at the time of the World's Fair, was ridiculed by many. Pushing ahead with its promotional work, the Plan Commission published Charles H. Wacker's Manual of the Plan of Chicago late in 1911.
