Here to There: The History & Future of Chicago’s Transportation

Chicago has a rich history of public transportation, from its early days as a railway hub and as a shipping center thanks to its connection to the Great Lakes region and the Atlantic Ocean. 

Transportation is an integral part of our modern society. We take the train to work, we drive to the grocery store, we enjoy the water taxi down the Chicago River, and we rely on all other manner of vehicles, systems, and paths to our ultimate destination. Chicago is nearing its 200th birthday and things have changed quite a bit since the first horse-drawn carriage made its way down an unpaved road. While Chicago is no longer the meat-packing center of the United States, it does have one of the world’s busiest airports and it remains the rail center of the country. While the Chicago River is now heavily utilized for recreational purposes, this wasn’t always the case. 

While looking to the future of transportation, it’s vitally important to consider how we arrived at the present. To that end, we’ve paired two Chicago transportation experts with two experts who are focused on the future of transportation! 

How has transit changed over the years? How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected the way we use transit? How will emerging technologies allow us to modify and enhance the transit systems we have in place? Join us on a tour of Chicago’s transportation systems both past, present, and future to hear answers to these questions and many more.

For more details and registration for this free event by the Chicago Council on Science and Technology, please click here.