Horizon Lines: Visions for 2050
A signature initiative of World Business Chicago focused on surfacing, sharing, and advancing bold ideas for Chicago’s future.
In early 2026, we asked Chicago to envision what our city could look like in the next 25 years. Nearly 200 submissions later, a picture emerged. Each of the 6 finalists sought to create a better future with the tools we’ve already been given — through expanding green spaces, road infrastructure, waste management and regenerative farming systems, and more.
Explore each finalist below, then visit the public exhibit at the Chicago Cultural Center Welcome Center, on view through September.
Congratulations to the Horizon Lines Winners!
GREEN CITY RISING
THE MORTON ARBORETUM
Green City Rising, led by the Morton Arboretum, builds neighborhood arboreta serving the residents who live around them – climate resilience rooted in local ownership.
WONDERWAYS!
MKSK
Wonderways!, by MKSK, turns Chicago's 28-mile boulevard system into connected green infrastructure that cools neighborhoods, manages stormwater, and links communities on foot and by bike.
Notable Visions
One provides the spine. The other, the roots. Together, they carry forward what Urbs in Horto started.
Scroll further to learn more about Horizon Lines, including both the essays featured in The Chicago Tribune, and our finalist visions.
