Lisle, Ill. – September 18, 2026 -- The Morton Arboretum's "Green City Rising: People and Trees Thriving Together" concept was named a co-winner of the Horizon Lines: Visions for Chicago 2050 competition, World Business Chicago announced Sept. 15 at the City Club of Chicago.
Arboretum plan beat nearly 200 submissions to reach six finalists
"Green City Rising" reimagines Chicago as a connected network of tree-centric green spaces designed to give every neighborhood a healthy tree canopy by 2050. Landscape architecture firm MKSK was named the other co-winner for its "Wonderways!" proposal to convert Chicago's boulevards into a network of climate commons.
Community partners have shovel-ready pilot projects identified
The Arboretum worked with longtime partners Blacks in Green and Urban Growers Collective to scope initial projects. Blacks in Green has a proposed Community Resilience Garden in West Woodlawn, while Urban Growers Collective has outlined an urban tree nursery in Auburn Gresham capable of growing 10,000 trees annually to supply community forestry efforts. Architecture firm Vocon produced renderings for the West Woodlawn garden concept.
Existing forestry program has already planted 10,000-plus trees since 2022
The vision builds on the Arboretum's Chicago Region Trees Initiative (CRTI), which has partnered with more than 500 organizations and municipalities since 2014 to plant and maintain trees in areas with reduced canopy cover. CRTI has planted and distributed over 10,000 trees across Illinois communities since 2022, giving the new proposal an operational track record to scale from.
Arboretum's ArbNet network spans nearly 1,000 accredited sites globally
ArbNet, the Arboretum's global accreditation program for arboreta, has certified close to 1,000 sites worldwide, including dozens in the Chicago region spanning parks, corporate campuses, cemeteries, health care facilities and universities.
President and CEO Jill Koski said the plan responds to today's climate pressures while extending the legacy of Daniel Burnham's 1909 "Plan of Chicago," which embedded green space into the city's urban planning framework. The Arboretum is now working with cross-sector partners to determine how the pilot projects can move from concept to implementation.
All six Horizon Lines finalist proposals are on public display at the Chicago Cultural Center through Oct. 11.