Chicago is celebrating its Great Places and Spaces this weekend. (This annual event is worth a special trip to Chicago. I don't know another city that is prouder of its built environment and trains so many of its citizens -- many of whom are from the metro area -- to show it off.) I got tickets early for this morning's tour of the proposed Bloomingdale Trail. (Good thing, since it was sold out.) The trail is a 3-mile abandoned rail line that ties together four very different neighborhoods in the heart of the city. The "official" tour took us along the base of the raised right of way where there are some wonderful murals produced by the community and new residential development everywhere. The "unofficial" walk back took us up to the trail where you can really begin to see the potential. The trail will have entry points every quarter mile, four of which have already been acquired for the city, thanks to assistance by the Trust for Public Land. Cyclists and walkers will both be welcomed on the trail, and at its widest points, organizers expect to host farmers markets and other types of events. New York's High Line is one wonderful mile through Manhattan's West Side, and ground has already been broken. (I heard project architect Elizabeth Diller speak last week at Serious Play. She is working with lead firm Field Operations.) But if one mile is impressive, three ought to be three times as good. Word is that Bloomingdale Trail executive director Julia Kim is meeting with Mayor Daley this week to figure out how to speed things up to meet an Olympics timetable. With or without the Olympics, this looks like another great project for Chicago, the city that Fast Company named its City of the Year in the current issue (not yet posted online).