Urban Rivers

Our mission is to transform urban waterways into wildlife sanctuaries, to provide an opportunity for residents to connect with nature in new, meaningful ways.

We bring together innovators, ecologists, and designers in the urban waterway space from around the world to create truly innovative, wildlife-first destinations. We include local community groups in the design and construction process, so that everyone from students to local businesses plays an active role in making their surrounding world a better place with their own hands and minds. In addition, we run a layer of programming at these destinations that includes everything from elementary school curriculum, to sponsoring graduate school research projects, to organizing conservation-minded volunteer programs for people of all ages.

Urban Rivers has installed 2,000 square feet of floating gardens on the Chicago River and are currently focused on building out the Wild Mile. The Wild Mile will be a mile-long floating eco-park on the North Branch Canal scheduled to open in Spring 2020. Our current objectives are to increase habitat, improve water quality, inspire innovation, and educate the public all while beautifying the Chicago River!