author
Commercial Club of Chicago
A longtime Chicago civic organization, this nonprofit has spent well over a century bringing business leaders together to shape the city and region’s future. Its story connects to major debates about public policy, economic growth, and Chicago’s place in the wider Midwest.
1 Audiobook
Plan of Chicago
by Commercial Club of Chicago, Edward H. (Edward Herbert) Bennett, Daniel Hudson Burnham
About the author
Founded in 1877, the Commercial Club of Chicago is a nonprofit civic organization focused on the social and economic vitality of the Chicago metropolitan area. It grew out of Chicago’s business leadership circles and later absorbed the Merchants Club in 1907, creating the modern organization known today.
Over the years, the club has been involved in major regional initiatives and has worked through affiliated groups such as the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago. Its influence has often centered on big-picture questions like transportation, education, public finance, and long-term planning for the city and suburbs.
Rather than being known for a single authorial voice, the Commercial Club of Chicago is best understood as an institution with a long civic legacy. Its publications and reports reflect a continuing effort to bring research, leadership, and public policy ideas into conversations about Chicago’s future.