The proposed West Loop railway stations west of the Chicago River with the Civic Center beyond at Congress and Halsted.

The Chicago River at Lake Street resembles the Seine in this Plan rendering, which shows two-level streets on both downtown riverbanks.

To illustrate his ideas on traffic circulation, Burnham included theoretical diagrams of major streets in European cities.

Principal points of the Plan of Chicago

The improvement of the Lake Front.

The creation of a system of highways outside the city.

The improvement of railway terminals and the development of a complete traction system for both freight and passengers.

The acquisition of an outer park system, and of parkway circuits.

The systematic arrangement of the streets and avenues within the city in order to facilitate the movement to and from the business district.

The development of centers of intellectual life and of civic administration, so related as to give coheren ce and unity to the city.

— Plan of Chicago, p. 121

The plan of Chicago as presented in illustration and text is the result of a systematic and comprehensive study…mapping out an ideal project for the physical development of this city.

—Plan of Chicago, p. 119

The Plan of Chicago did not invent new solutions to all the region’s problems. Some, particularly social and housing needs, were considered beyond the scope of the document, and several sections that Burnham drafted were not included in the final published Plan. In other areas, such as railroad terminal needs and plans for an outer park system, existing schemes were incorporated into the Plan and duly credited.

One entire chapter is devoted to the background and history of city planning, showing how the great European cities had benefited from improved circulation and gracious public space. The book’s prose alludes to beauty and pride, but the point is always concluded in economic terms: over the long run, necessary public improvements, done according to a logical plan, benefit a city far more than their cost. When these improvements are made, writes Burnham, “will the people of means be so ready to run away and spend their money in other cities?”

Chicago’s remarkable growth, the document argues, makes a farsighted plan imperative. Detailed maps showed a reconfiguration of city streets and railroad lines, and specific street and harbor improvements were shown to serve the central area.

As a comprehensive look at the region’s needs, the Plan looked far beyond the city limits, describing highways radiating throughout and encircling the Chicago region, and parks and harbor facilities scaled for the metropolitan area’s future needs. It recommended that “a commission should be appointed to lay out all that territory adjacent to the city of Chicago which is likely to become incorporated in the city at least during the next decade” to ensure that streets connected and were of suitable width, that provisions were made for schools, parks, and libraries, and that building restrictions limited “undesirable classes of structures.” An appendix noted the changes to state law that would be needed for the Plan’s full implementation.

The Plan’s prose is convincing, but the book’s illustrations made it memorable. Maps and diagrams were supplemented with birds-eye views and romantic overviews of the city painted by Jules Guérin. Readers could see a beautiful and orderly city that was nonetheless recognizably Chicago, incorporating the city’s river and lakeshore, the railroad stations and street patterns.