“Chicago is the city meant to be looked at. Justifying that with inspiring clarity, this book surveys the urban vistas as the aesthetic unity of architecture and landscape—and raises the guidebook to new heights of the genre.”

William Conger, artist and professor emeritus, Northwestern University

“Sally A. Kitt Chappell’s Chicago’s Urban Nature is a must-read book about Chicago’s renowned landscape heritage, from its famed parks and urban plazas to public gardens, campuses, and cemeteries. The book is conveniently broken down into neighborhoods, many of which can be visited on foot. It will go a long way toward sharing the urban treasures of this architecturally rich city.”

Judith B. Tankard, author and landscape historian, Landscape Institute, Harvard University

“Park by park, Sally Kitt Chappell celebrates Chicago’s remarkable green infrastructure.  This paean to urban nature is both a guide and a manifesto urgently promoting an ethic of civic stewardship.”

Elizabeth Barlow Rogers, president, Foundation for Landscape Studies

“It’s about time! Move over Burnham, Sullivan and Wright and make room for Olmsted, Jensen and Caldwell. Hats off to Sally Kitt Chappell who reveals, celebrates and knits together the landscape architectural legacy of Chicago. I can’t wait to revisit these landscapes with this guidebook in hand.”

Charles A. Birnbaum, founder and president, The Cultural Landscape Foundation

“Noted local historian Sally A. Kitt Chappell connects Chicago’s forefathers—those who granted it the nickname ‘City in a Garden’—with the living eco-visionaries who gave us green roofs and Millennium Park.”

TimeOut Chicago

“This is a rich book woven with many unexpected strands: gorgeous new photos and historic images; hidden places around the city alongside fresh insights on the familiar ones; maps and background pieces, along with captions and essays. It ambitiously considers both architecture and landscape, not simply as two related topics but as proof of the thesis that architecture and landscape uniquely merged in nineteenth-century Chicago. That merger is a dynamic process, and Campbell is unafraid to make contemporary observations. Note to Chicago’s Olympic Committee:  Here is Exhibit A for Chicago’s status as a global city with long experience in welcoming the world.”

Gary T. Johnson, President, Chicago History Museum

“[Chappell’s] personal response to Chicago’s built environment, and her enthusiasm for the city, informed by her years of highly regarded scholarly research, is infectious, making this a book you can’t put down. Chappell writes for four different audiences: tourists. Chicagoans, armchair travelers, and architecture, landscape, and planning professionals. . . [Chappell’s] insights signify a long overdue shift in the architectural history community from viewing landscape as mere background to seeing it in its proper perspective as equal partner to architecture. . . . A beautifully designed book, a tactile and visual pleasure that is small and flexible enough to carry in purse or backpack.”

Barbara Geiger | Landscape Architecture

“This book should take its place with the ample assortment of guides most Chicago architecture aficionados have on their shelves. As the city becomes greener in the years to come, Chappell’s guide will become even more necessary to understanding Chicago’s development in its entirety.”

Edward Keegan | Chicago Tribune