Prior to the Michigan Avenue Streetscape project, Chicago’s ‘Magnificent Mile,’ though prominent, was an uninterrupted span of concrete from curb to curb.  In 1993, Hoerr Schaudt designed enormous median ‘mega planters’ along 33 blocks of Michigan Avenue and designed seasonal plant displays of enormous scale, complexity and texture to fill them.  The firm designs a new, trend-setting look for the medians each season.  The project is a model for landscape architects, urban designers, and civic leaders seeking to infuse urban landscapes with humanizing elements that foster health and vibrancy in the country’s center cities.