Morton Arboretum’s tree-planting proposal named a finalist in World Business Chicago competition
The Morton Arboretum’s “Green City Rising: People and Trees Thriving Together” innovative urban design concept is one of six finalists in the Horizon Lines: Visions for Chicago 2050 competition, World Business Chicago announced Wednesday.
The Morton Arboretum’s 1,700-acre site cares for 106,714 specimens representing 4,067 different kinds of plants.
Building on Chicago’s historic identity as “Urbs in Horto,” a City in a Garden, the Arboretum’s “Green City Rising” proposal is an ambitious, equity-centered vision to expand arboreta, defined as tree collections, to neighborhoods with the greatest need for green spaces by 2050, according to a news release.
“Green City Rising,” which was among roughly 200 Horizon Lines submissions, envisions a citywide system of interconnected tree-focused landscapes, planned and designed directly by the local communities. These spaces would reflect the city’s cultural richness and support walking, gathering and daily life.
“Green City Rising” seeks to address pressing urban challenges, including extreme heat, poor air quality, flooding and inequitable access to green space. It also prioritizes communities where trees are needed most, based on robust data. A tested and scalable proposal, it builds upon existing work of the Arboretum and its partnerships, such as those with Our Roots Chicago and the Chicago Park District.
“It is an honor for The Morton Arboretum to be recognized by World Business Chicago among this group of esteemed finalists,” said Arboretum President and CEO Jill Koski. “This recognition showcases the depth of the Arboretum’s mission impact, work we are already doing. The Arboretum is a global leader in urban and community forestry, tree science and conservation as well as a cultural destination with more than one million annual visitors.”
The Arboretum has an established framework for implementation that supports the goals of “Green City Rising.” For example, its urban and community forestry program, the Chicago Region Trees Initiative, works with public agencies, community groups and residents to plant and care for trees in areas with reduced canopy cover. Another Arboretum program is ArbNet, the global accreditation network for arboreta. ArbNet has accredited nearly 1,000 arboreta worldwide, including dozens in the Chicago region, ranging from parks, corporate grounds, cemeteries, health care facilities and university campuses.
As climate pressures intensify and population dynamics shift, Chicago’s future depends not only on environmental adaptation but on fiscally sound investments — such as trees, which are essential civic infrastructure — that strengthen neighborhoods as places of stability, opportunity and belonging, the release said.
Trees are the only type of infrastructure that increases in value over time. They anchor community life, support economic growth, increase safety, improve health and demonstrate that every neighborhood deserves to be livable and beautiful, Koski said.
“Chicago is a city that ‘makes no little plans,’” Koski said. “‘Green City Rising’ is not simply about planting trees — it’s about Chicago thriving through people and trees. This vision exemplifies Chicago’s motto as a City in a Garden.”
The Arboretum and other Horizon Lines finalists will showcase their proposals in a public exhibition hosted by World Business Chicago at the Chicago Cultural Center June 3 through Sept. 18, with opportunities for public comment until July 24.
World Business Chicago will announce the winning vision Sept. 15.