"Make no little plans..." is one passage that has become the motto of many city planners in the Western world. The same exhortation seems to have been the motivating factor behind the achievements of Daniel Hudson Burnham in the field of physical planning. His grand plan for his own native city of Chicago symbolized the fulfillment of these most inspiring words.
The Chicago Plan was formally presented in 1909. It was the crowning achievement of the author's involvement in public affairs which started with the World's Columbian Exposition held in Chicago in 1893 and took him to Washington, San Francisco, Cleveland, West Point, Harvard, Manila and Baguio. It also marked the fruition of his close association with his most esteemed friends in the planning profession such as Charles McKim, Fredrick Law Olmstead, Sr., Augustus Saint Gaudens, Frank Millet, and Edward H. Bennett. The plan was not only the most comprehensive prepared for an American city then but also representative of the practical achievements based on civic spirit and enterprise.