Dan McLean - no walled urban fortresses

It's safe to say that no single individual has had more impact on the course of development in the western stretches of Lincoln Park than MCL Companies' Dan McLean.

MCL's large projects in the area include the 150-unit Lakewood Commons, the 250-unit Embassy Club and the block-sized Alrgeld Club on Fullerton.

The size of MCL's developments, however, is the least important aspect of McLean's lasting impact on the area. In the pre-McLean era developers took it for granted that it was necessary to build walled fortresses or high brick walls fronting the street to entice buyers. Walk south on Larrabee from Armitage Ave to North Ave and you'll intuit how destructive this style of building is to the urban fabric.

McLean's developments front the street and are open to pedestrian through-traffic, preserving and extending a more traditional neighborhood pattern. He channeled many of the lessons of Jane Jacobs before having read her.

An earlier part of my interview with Dan McLean is at YouTube, and more will follow.

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