Cities, lessons and modern versions...

From: Lessons for a Modern Chicago, New York Times, James Warren

"An estimated 70 percent of the world’s population will live in cities by 2050. The fittest to survive, the consensus goes, are those metropolitan areas — not just cities — that can combine talent, capital, innovation and cooperation in plotting organic strategies for growth, and not just steal businesses from elsewhere."

"...A new ranking of metropolitan economies, based on employment and per-capita income growth, shows American cities plummeting as Asian and Latin American cities rise. In the past year, only one American city, Austin, Tex., was in the top 35, with Chicago ranking 82nd among 150 metro economies worldwide and trailing 30 cities in the United States.

Panels exploring the revivals of Barcelona, Munich, Seoul and Turin underscored that success involved a determination to work with local, state and federal governments; to internationalize economies; to innovate to revitalize traditional industries; to upgrade workers’ skills with technical training; and to shift to a green economy while boosting investment in high speed rail..."

"...Emily J. Harris, program director for Chicago Metropolis 2020, found the big takeaway from the conference was that economic development strategy must depend on innovation “and not trying to attract firms from elsewhere.” Growth must come from within, the strategy used in Turin, Italy’s Detroit, which parlayed a declining auto sector’s technical savvy into powerhouse design and aerospace centers."

McDonalds CycleCenter

Privately owned public resource: McDonalds Cycle Center located in Chicago's Millennium Park. its a heated and air conditioned indoor bicycle parking facility built by the city of Chicago and now sponsored by McDonalds. In addition, the station provides space for a Chicago Police Department Bike Patrol Group.

McDonald's Cycle Center offers the following services:

• Secure Bicycle Parking: The Cycle Center offers 300 secure bicycle parking spaces.
• Lockers, Showers and Towel Service: To make your bicycle commute comfortable we provide lockers and showers (for Members only) so you may refresh before you go to work.
• Bicycle Rental: Bikes are available for rent by the hour, day, or week.
• Bicycle Repair Shop: Professional bicycle mechanics are available full time at the bicycle station during the summer from 10am to 6pm and part time during the winter.
• Guided Bicycle Tours: Memorial Day to Labor Day, guided bicycle tours are offered daily at 10am and 1pm.
• IGO Car Sharing : IGO cars are available for rent from Millennium Park. IGO is a not-for-profit car sharing program developed by the Center.
  

from website

from a treehugger blog post:

"I have a membership at the bike station and find it very convenient - it's clean and only 4 blocks from my office, which is closer than any gym. It's not fancy, but it doesn't need to be - and it's used almost exclusively by commuters, not tourists. I don't mind the McDonald's name if it saves taxpayer money - besides, anyone who's traveled much knows that the bathrooms at McDonald's are always the cleanest."

Also see:
Millennium Park
Wikipedia