The lakefront trail is an indeligible part of what makes Chicago unique.
Many Chicagoans are active, green-minded and in love with the waterfront.
Daniel Burnham was far-sighted indeed when he envisioned a lakefront open to the public.
And yet, like any city, its growth did not and does not always go according to plan.
People who now own lakefront property in the gaps feel that they shouldn't be punished for the city's lack of planning. They are also wary -- and for good reason -- that what happened the last time Chicago added lakefill to make park land will happen again. They'll lose their waterfront.
But some civic groups and even some residents say they believe a happy medium can be found, where the public gets access to the lakefront and property owners retain private beaches.
One group, the Chicago non-profit Friends of the Parks, has tried to assure lakefront property owners that both are possible.
In May 2009 the group will release a new round of sketches, based on three years of public hearings in the three lakefront communities where the gaps remain.
"Our vision of completing the lakefront parks does not involve roadways, does not involve marinas, does not involve commercial development," said public trust and policy director Eleanor Roemer. "It is strictly a park project."