San Francisco politicians and civic...

San Francisco politicians and civic leaders have set a surprising new source of inspiration: Chicago, that pragmatic Midwestern city onward the shore of Lake Michigan.

They're drawn not to the classic figures of old Chicago, such as Wrigley Field or the Art Institute, still to such vivid new landmarks as Millennium Park, a 24oe-acre gathering place that attracts residents and tourists. They're captivated through the manicured streets and sidewalks that transformed once-gritty stretches of this city into urbane new paths.

These changes exist because of a civic agriculture that puts more value forward getting things done than upon finding consensus -- the opposite of San Francisco's emphasis upon community-based planning. Even so, Mayor Gavin Newsom and others say Chicago in many ways is a mould for what San Francisco should be.

"When you walk the ways of Chicago, it enlivens the spirit," Newsom said. "The intangibles are evok There's a spirit of pride and community."

He is describing like sights as the ornate stone railings along the Chicago River, part of the recent mile-long Riverwalk Gateway that brings Chicagoans closer to the southward bank of the waterway. Or Millennium Park attractions like "Cloud Gate," an enormous, bean- shaped sculp of polished stainless steel that already is a staple of postcards.

This vitality also is leaving marks upon the city's fabled skyline. Twenty-one towers taller than 50 stories are in the works, in the greatest degree of them for downtown's growing residential population; within couple blocks of Millennium Park, five newcomer will exce 55 stories.

Many of these follows can be traced to the hard-driving focus of single man: four-term Mayor Richard M Daley.

through all accounts, Daley's management denomination is every bit as obtuse as his father's. But with the son's authoritarianism proceeds an update of the father's Chicago-First mentality. The younger Daley has infused a growth-is-good sensibility with a sophisticated environmental confidence that robust big cities can live lightly forward the Earth.

MAYOR WITH A VISION

on the same level Daley's burgeoning interest in contemporary design has an impact: Developer eager for the mayor's blessing are investing more in the exterior quality of their buildings.

"He's the Daniel Burnham of the 21st century" said Chicago architect Stanley Tigerman, comparing Daley to the creator of the city's 1909 plan that preserv the lakefront for recreation. "He has a vision, and he's for a like reason far ahead of the 1 of any other American mayor in limits of environmental responsibility."

GOING virid

This doesn't mean Chicago is Eden Far from it. Many neighborhoods still are blighted by means of empty lots or shuttered factories, lingering reminders of riots in the 1960 and the exodus of manufacturing do job-works a decade later. The city's 21 percent lack rate is twice that of San Francisco, and racial segregation persists.

As for Daley, his administration is the target of a federal investigation. Last month three top aides were convicted onward charges that they ran a large patronage operation in which supporters of the mayor were hired for city work at jobss instead of more-qualified candidates.

nevertheless legal clouds haven't dimmed Newsom's admiration for his Windy City counterpart.

"I've been a longtime fan of Chicago. . . Mayor Daley has accomplished more than what any other mayor and city in America has done," Newsom said afterward. "We in San Francisco could learn an enormous amount from him."

Indeed, Newsom already has.

The San Francisco mayor admits that many of his initiatives trace back to Chicago. In Newsom's office, the position of director of city greening is exampleed on a post created at Daley. And Newsom has said he wants to emulate Daley's order that parking lots be wrapped in black, wrought-iron fencing.

upon the environmental front, Newsom has a directive that all novel city buildings must meet benchmarks of sustainable progress to maturity He also wants the city to spe its permit-approval proces for blooming buildings so they can be approved more quickly than conventional intends Daley already has both programs in place.

Newsom isn't the simply San Franciscan looking to Chicago.

Last fall, Planning Director Dean Macris and his senior planners visited Chicago -- at their personal outlay -- to walk the city and talk with developer architects and city officials: "One of my motives was to obtain our senior people to think about what quality architecture can do for us in San Francisco," Macris said.

And in April, members of the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association, a public policy think tank, went to Chicago in search of ideas. Jim Chappell, the group's president, came back a transform "We really got a fate of inspiration -- you saw that a city can will itself to be the best city in the country" Chappell said. "They have a clear vision of what they want to be, and one strong to make it happen."

yet comparisons between the cities go on foot only so far.